Cuba's role: an ally with its own aims

H1 History - syllabus 8838, 2027

What this lesson teaches

  • I can judge how the Cold War played out in Korea and Cuba, as the superpowers competed and looked for allies.

    Syllabus 8838, Theme I, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the manifestation of the Cold War conflict across different contexts over time

Make a guess

How do you think Castro felt when Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in October 1962?

  1. Betrayed, because Cuba was not consulted.
  2. Pleased, because he had negotiated the deal himself.
  3. Relieved, because he had asked for the missiles to go.
Show the answer

Betrayed, because Cuba was not consulted.

Castro learned of the deal from the radio. He had pushed a hard line and wanted more guarantees.

Castro welcomed the missiles, pushed for a hard line, and was angry when the superpowers settled without him.

Castro agreed to the missiles to protect the revolution and to strengthen the socialist camp. He wanted the deployment announced publicly, but Khrushchev insisted on secrecy.

During the crisis, Castro expected a US attack. On 26 October he wrote to Khrushchev urging that, if the USA invaded, the USSR should not let the imperialists strike first with nuclear weapons. Khrushchev was alarmed by the advice.

Castro learned of the settlement from the radio. He felt betrayed. Cuba had not been consulted, and the deal ignored his demands, which included ending the blockade and returning the US base at Guantanamo.

Castro refused UN inspection on Cuban soil. Soviet deputy premier Anastas Mikoyan spent weeks in Cuba repairing relations. Soviet-Cuban ties survived, but the crisis showed the limits of superpower control over allies.

Castro's letter
26 October 1962, urging a hard line if Cuba were invaded.
Inspections
Castro refused UN inspection on Cuban soil.
Mikoyan mission
November 1962, repairing Soviet-Cuban relations.

Real examples to use

Castro's five points, 28 October 1962

He demanded an end to the embargo and the return of Guantanamo. The superpowers ignored them, which shows Cuba's weak position.

IL-28 bombers, November 1962

Kennedy also wanted Soviet bombers removed. Khrushchev agreed, and the quarantine ended on 20 November, again without asking Castro.

Castro in the USSR, 1963

A long visit from April to May 1963 repaired relations, showing the alliance survived the anger of October.

Worked example: An H1 lens: sustaining allies

How far did the USSR succeed in sustaining its alliance with Cuba?

  1. Success: Cuba stayed a Soviet ally and the no-invasion pledge protected the revolution.
  2. Limitation: Castro was excluded from the settlement and resented it.
  3. Limitation: Castro refused inspections, complicating the deal.
  4. Judgement: the alliance survived, but on strained terms.

Watch out for this

Cuba was a passive pawn in the crisis.

Castro pressed for a hard line, rejected inspections and complicated the settlement. Cuba's fears and demands shaped the crisis.

Check your understanding

Why was Castro angry at the end of the crisis?

  1. The USSR had threatened to invade Cuba.
  2. The superpowers settled without consulting Cuba.
  3. The USA agreed to Cuba's demands on Guantanamo.
Show the answer

The superpowers settled without consulting Cuba.

Right. He learned of the deal from public news.

Sources and context

Background reading for this chapter.

  • Kennedy writes to Khrushchev

    Paraphrase of President Kennedy's letter to Chairman Khrushchev, 22 October 1962, sent with a copy of his televised statement on Cuba.

  • Khrushchev's first proposal

    Paraphrase of Chairman Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy, 26 October 1962, as translated by the US embassy in Moscow.

  • Khrushchev raises Turkey

    Paraphrase of Chairman Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy, 27 October 1962, broadcast publicly by Moscow radio.

  • Kennedy replies

    Paraphrase of President Kennedy's message to Chairman Khrushchev, 27 October 1962, released to the press.

  • Khrushchev announces withdrawal

    Paraphrase of Chairman Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy, 28 October 1962.

  • Kennedy addresses the nation, 22 October 1962

    Extract from President John F. Kennedy's radio and television report to the American people on the Soviet arms build-up in Cuba, broadcast on 22 October 1962. A US government document in the public domain; text from the American Presidency Project.

  • Khrushchev replies, 24 October 1962

    Extract from Chairman Nikita Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy, Moscow, 24 October 1962, in the official translation prepared by the US Department of State, printed in Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume VI, document 63. A US government publication in the public domain.

  • the President's advisers debate Turkey, 27 October 1962

    Extract from the summary record of the eighth meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExComm), Washington, 27 October 1962, 4 p.m., written by Bromley Smith, Top Secret. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XI, document 94. A US government document in the public domain.

  • Robert Kennedy reports his meeting with the Soviet ambassador

    Extract from a memorandum by Attorney General Robert Kennedy to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, 30 October 1962, describing his meeting with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin on the evening of 27 October. Top Secret. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XI, document 96. The editors note that a typed sentence was crossed out of the final paragraph: "If some time elapsed--and per your instructions, I mentioned four or five months--I said I was sure that these matters could be resolved satisfactory." A US government document in the public domain.

  • a cartoon about the settlement, November 1962

    An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a European newspaper cartoon published in November 1962, after the Soviet missiles were withdrawn. It is not a copy of a real cartoon. The American missiles in Turkey were removed in April 1963; the understanding was kept secret until the late 1980s.

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