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Cold War: Thinking the Unthinkable
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Cold War: Thinking the Unthinkable |
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"I don't ever want to be in that position. We're not going to bungle into war." President John F. Kennedy October 1961 during Cuban missile crisis Referring to Barbara Tuchman's book The Guns of August that relates how European leaders had blundered into World War I. Quoted by Robert S. McNamara in 13 Days, An Insiders Perspective, John F. Kennedy Library and Foundation, October 1, 2002 |
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Lesson Objectives
• Describe and analyze the strategy of massive retaliation and the central role that nuclear weapons played in U.S. security strategy during this period. • Describe and analyze nuclear war fighting theory and the organization and operation of nuclear forces. • Describe and analyze the impact that the threat of nuclear war had on U.S. society during the 1950's and 1960's. • Describe the events that led to the Cuban missile crisis. • Describe and analyze the decision-making process used by the United States and how the crisis was resolved. • Describe and analyze the significance of the Cuban missle crisis and its impact on subsequent U.S. security strategy. |
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Study Guides
• Describe the strategies of massive retaliation and Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) How did they evolve? • What is the nuclear triad? How and why did it evolve? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each leg of the triad? • Describe counter-value and counter-force as nuclear war fighting strategies. • What caused the Cuban Missile Crisis? What was the world situation at the time? • What was at stake for the U.S. in the Cuban Missile Crisis? • Describe the major phases of the crisis. • What options were available to the U.S.? Which was chosen? • How did the American people react to this crisis? How did the world react? • How did the crisis unfold? What agreements were made between the U.S. and the USSR? • How close did the world come to nuclear war? • What lessons did the superpowers take from this crisis? • How did the Cold War impact U.S. society during the '50s and '60s? |
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Assignment
Readings: Cuban Missile Crisis Wikipedia "Cuban missile crisis beliefs endure after 50 years" Peter Orsi Associated Press, October 13, 2012 The Cuban Missile Crisis: Day After Day (good supporting documents) Cyril Buffet, Vincent Touze The Cuban Missile Crisis La Crise des Missiles de Cuba (French) Le Mémorial de Caen Supplemental Resources: Thirteen Days and History Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Harvard University The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962: Chronologies of the Crisis (more details) The National Security Archive The George Washington University |
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