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Thirteen Days- A Look at the Cuban Missile Crisis

             Our assignment was to write a paper using Robert F. Kennedy's book Thirteen Days: a Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis. We were asked to examine the Cuban Missile Crisis as: a) an example of the Cold War mentality of the early 1960's or b) a demonstration of the Kennedy administration's decision-making process. While pondering which approach to take I decided that both choices were inextricably linked. JFK's pragmatic approach in dealing with the USSR led to the outcome of events related to the Cold War in the early 1960's. It may be said that had Kennedy reined Khrushchev in during the early days of his presidency, the Cuban Missile Crisis might not have happened. In hindsight Kennedy's caution during the crisis saved the United States from possible nuclear war, but the gamble he took was huge. The Cuban Missile Crisis was fraught with miscalculations and failed predictions. It caused the U.S. and Russia to face the potential devastation that was possible as a result of nearly twenty years of tension and competition for weapons superiority. Perhaps the biggest lesson from RFK's memoir is that humans are fallible; the fate of the world in 1962 was decided by a roll of the dice. .
             That the Cuban Missile Crisis took place is no surprise. When it was learned on Tuesday October 16, 1962 that Russia was placing weapons in Cuba, the Kennedy administration was stunned. Why were they stunned? Kennedy's decision-making early in his presidency certainly gave Khrushchev no reason to think that the U.S. would take action to stop the Soviets. In 1961 the North Vietnamese began developing a supply line through Laos into South Vietnam. The Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of roads armed with Soviet weapons, ended the neutrality of Laos guaranteed by the 1954 Geneva Accords. Kennedy chose not to confront the USSR. When the Berlin Wall was constructed Kennedy increased the military budget and sent troops but did not stop the Wall from cutting off thousands of Berliners for 38 years.


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