Flashback: Castro Urged Soviet Nuclear Attack in '62

PARIS — Cuban leader Fidel Castro asked the Soviet Union in 1962 to launch a nuclear attack on the United States if it invaded Cuba, according to letters published today by a French newspaper. The respected daily Le Monde said the letters were exchanged between Castro and Soviet leader Nikita S. Khrushchev during the Cuban missile crisis. In an acrimonious reply, Khrushchev suggested that Castro was irresponsible, since such a war would have killed millions of people in both East and West and destroyed Cuba. Le Monde said Castro gave copies of three of his letters and two of Khrushchev's to French writer Jean-Edern Hallier last month. Hallier then gave them to the newspaper, it said. The first letter by Castro, dated Oct. 26, 1962, said Cuba expected an American invasion "in the next 24 or 72 hours" after the U.S. discovery that the Soviet Union was setting up nuclear missile sites in Cuba. The United States asked that the bases be withdrawn, and historians have said that the week that followed, until Khrushchev backed down, was the closest the world has come to World War III. "The Soviet Union should never let a situation develop in which the imperialists could carry out the first strike of a nuclear war," Castro wrote. "That would be the moment to forever eliminate such a danger . . . no matter how hard and terrible such a solution would be." Heads of state should not be "swept away by the popular feelings of hot-headed elements," Khrushchev replied. "If we had refused a reasonable arrangement with the U.S., a war would have left millions of dead and survivors would have blamed their leaders who were unable to avoid it," he added.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union from October 16 to October 28, 1962 and was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. During thirteen days, the world’s two biggest superpowers stood on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.

During his presidential campaign in 1960, Kennedy repeatedly stated that the US had fewer missiles than the Soviets, contradicting the Pentagon’s claim that the opposite was true. However, during the summer of 1961, when Khrushchev constructed a wall around West Berlin, the Kennedy Administration revealed to Khrushchev that the U.S. did, in fact, have more missiles than the Soviet Union. What worried Khrushchev the most, though, was that the Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe and were not able to strike the continental United States. But the US missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. He worried that if the Soviet Union lost the arms race that badly, it would invite a nuclear attack from the US. Khrushchev needed a way to counter the United State’s arms lead.

After the United States’ unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro and end communism in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, Castro was fearful of another US invasion. The US Armed Forces conducted a mock invasion and drafted a plan to invade Cuba to keep Castro nervous. As a result, Castro was desperate to find protection.

The Cuban Missile Crisis started as a result of both the Soviet Union’s fear of losing the arms race, and Cuba’s fear of a U.S. invasion. In April of 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev came up with the idea of installing medium-range missiles in Cuba. Khrushchev proposed this idea to Cuban Premier, Fidel Castro, who, like Khrushchev, saw the strategic advantage. In secrecy, the Soviets shipped sixty MRBMs (medium-range ballistic missiles) along with their warheads, launch equipment, and necessary operating personnel to Cuba. This deployment would double the Soviet arsenal and Cuba was close enough to the United States that the Soviet missiles would be an effective deterrent to a potential US attack against either the Soviet Union or Cuba.

- - -
May 29th-
· A high-level Soviet delegation that included Marshal S. Biryuzov, commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, and a high-level delegation, arrived secretly in Havana to suggest the deployment of nuclear weapons in Cuba.

July 2nd-
· Raul Castro, Cuban Minister of the Armed Forces, arrived in Moscow.

Mid-July-
· The Soviet Union began its buildup of offensive weapons in Cuba. The Soviets spent most of the late summer and early-fall of 1962 ferrying launch equipment and personnel necessary for the preparation of missiles to Cuba. Since they could not use military ships for fear of being discovered, the Soviets used civilian vessels. However, even with this caution, their actions were detected.
· As the US monitored the suddenly increased shipping activity to Cuba, rumors started in Washington.

August 10th-
· John McCone, director of the CIA, sent the President a letter stating his belief that the Soviets were placing MRBMs in Cuba.

August 29th-
· A U-2 on a reconnaissance flight over Cuba revealed the presence of SA-2 SAM (Surface-to-Air-Missile) sites.

September 4th-
· To calm the Congress and public, Kennedy announced there were Soviet missiles in Cuba, but that since they were defensive and not offensive, the US had nothing to worry about.
· Pressured by Congress, Kennedy ordered another U-2 flight over Cuba for October 9th, however it was delayed until the 14th.

September 8th-
· The Soviet freighter Omsk arrived in Cuba with the first shipment of MRBMs.

September 15th-
· The Soviet freighter Poltava arrived in Cuba with the second shipment of MRBMs.

Sunday, October 14th-
· An American U2 spy plane flew a mission over western Cuba. For the first time in two weeks the clouds don’t block the view, and Air Force Major Richard S. Heyser returned with photos of Soviet nuclear missiles being transported in Cuba. After the pictures from the reconnaissance flight were analyzed, the National Photographic Interpretation Center found what at first were thought to be more surface-to-air missile sites. A closer look, however, showed six much larger SS-4 nuclear surface-to-surface medium range ballistic missiles (MRBM), each 60 to 65 feet long. They now knew they had a big problem.

Monday, October 15th-
· President Kennedy was informed of the missiles during breakfast. It was now clear to him that the Soviets had been purposefully deceiving him for months. Kennedy immediately scheduled two meetings for that morning. At the first one, he looked over the photos. The missiles he saw had a range of 1,100 miles and could hit major US cities including New York, Washington DC, and Philadelphia. At the time, the missiles were not yet operational, nor did they have nuclear warheads, but they soon would.
· At the second meeting, Kennedy handpicked a group of his twelve most trusted government officials to advise him on the crisis. This group was referred to as the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, or EX-COMM, and it included:
Vice President, Lyndon Johnson; Secretary of State, Dean Rusk; Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Maxwell Taylor; Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, McGeorge Bundy; Secretary of the Treasury, Douglas Dillon; CIA Director, John McCone; Attorney General, Robert Kennedy; Undersecretary of State, George Ball;
Special Counsel, Theodore Sorensen; Deputy Secretary of Defense, Roswell Gilpatric; and Soviet Specialist, Llewellyn Thompson.
· In that meeting, Secretary Of Defense Robert McNamara outlined three possible courses of action the US could take against Cuba and the Soviet Union.
1. The first was “The political course of action.” It involved Castro and Khrushchev getting together and resolving the crisis on a diplomatic level. This plan was rejected since most members of EX-COMM thought it wouldn’t work.
2. The second plan was to blockade Cuba to prevent any more offensive missiles from entering.
3. The third plan was military action against Cuba, starting with an air attack with missiles, followed by a full-scale invasion force.
· Since EX-COMM falsely believed that the missile warheads were not yet in Cuba, the goal of any action they agreed on was to stop the warheads from reaching Cuba.
· In order to maintain secrecy, Kennedy followed his planned schedule. So far, the Soviets still didn’t know the Americans knew of the missiles in Cuba, and neither did the American public. If the Soviets found out, they might hide the missiles or launch them sooner than they had wanted. If the public found out, the nation would panic. Kennedy was in a good mood and even joked a little while in public, but became very serious when he entered his car and called a meeting with EX-COMM. Throughout EX-COMM’s discussions, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Especially the Air Force strongly argued for an air strike. Before the Air Force was done, they had planned a massive air strike that would have wiped Cuba off the planet’s surface, had Kennedy not denied the plan.

Wednesday, October 17th-
· U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Adlai Stevenson, sent a letter to President Kennedy. He wrote: “Because an attack [of Cuba], would very likely result in Soviet reprisals somewhere else in the world like-Turkey, Berlin, etc.-it is most important that we have as much of the world with us as possible. To start or risk starting a nuclear war is bound to be divisive at best and the judgments of history seldom coincide with the tempers of the moment.”
· President Kennedy met with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrie Gromyko and advised him that America will not tolerate Soviet missiles in Cuba. Gromyko denied the presence of any Soviet weaponry in Cuba. Since EX-COMM wasn’t sure if Gromyko knew of the missiles, Kennedy decided not to confront the minister on the issue. Later that evening, while a dinner was being held in Gromyko’s honor, EX-COMM had an important meeting. During the meeting, a majority opinion had been reached on recommending a blockade to the White House.
· At the White House, Kennedy couldn’t decide between a blockade or an air strike.
· After another U-2 flight, the military discovered the Soviet’s had deployed SS-5 nuclear IRBMs (intermediate range ballistic missiles) that could reach the entire continental U.S. except for Washington and Oregon,

Thursday, October 18th-
· The United States conducted a hydrogen bomb test in an airdrop over Johnston Island area with a yield of 1.59 megatons.
· The count of missiles believed to be stationed in Cuba stood at 40 IRBMs. The public still did not know about the missiles.
· Kennedy met with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in the White House but did not reveal that he was aware of the missile build up in Cuba.

Friday, October 19th-
· President Kennedy visited Chicago at the invitation of Mayor Daley. He later met with the secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, and the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss military options.

Saturday, October 20th
· President Kennedy returned to the White House to discuss the discovery of additional Soviet missiles in Cuba Press Secretary Pierre Salinger told the media that Kennedy “has a cold.”
· In a five-hour meeting at ExComm, Kennedy presents his decision to use a blockade because it allowed the US to start with minimal action and increase the pressure on the Soviets as needed. The blockade and/or quarantine is discussed and adopted.
· Twenty to thirty Soviet ships are currently en route to Cuba.
· UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson suggests that we, “make a trade.”

Sunday, October 21st-
· General Walter Sweeney, commander-in-chief of the Tactical Air Command, told President Kennedy that an air strike would not destroy all the missiles in Cuba.
· President Kennedy decided on a naval blockade of Cuba.
· Later in the day, another U-2 flight revealed bombers and MiGs being assembled and cruise missile sites being built on Cuba’s northern shore.

Monday, October 22nd-
· At exactly 7.00 p.m., Kennedy broadcast a live message to the nation and the world American public.
“This Government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba. Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missiles sites is now in preparation of that imprisoned island. The purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere. I have directed that the following initial steps be taken:
- First, to halt this offensive build up, a strict quarantine of all military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated.
- Second, I have directed the continued and increased close surveillance and its military build up.
- Third, it shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response on the Soviet Union.”
In the speech Kennedy used the word “quarantine” instead of “blockade.” This was an important detail. A blockade, as defined under international treaties, is an act of war. A quarantine, however, is merely an attempt to keep something unwanted out of a particular area. In this way, the US could have its blockade, but the international community would not consider it an act of war.
· Within minutes of Kennedy’s address to the nation, almost 300 Navy ships set sail for Cuba.
· Military alert was raised to DEFCON 3 and instructions were given to be ready to launch missiles.
· Twenty planes armed with nuclear bombs were in the air ready to strike the USSR.
· Kennedy sent a copy of his speech to Khrushchev, who became infuriated. He was angry at both his military for not successfully hiding the missiles and the American “quarantine” which, no matter what they called it, was an act of war.
· Khrushchev’s first response to the speech was to instruct the ships on their way to Cuba not to stop.
· Castro also responded by mobilizing all of Cuba’s military forces.
· The Russians conducted a High-Altitude Nuclear Test at Kapustin Yar, with a hydrogen bomb on a rocket and a yield of about 300 Kilotons
· President Kennedy phoned former Presidents Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower to brief them on the situation.
· President Kennedy sent the first of a series of letters to Khrushchev.
· Fidel Castro announced a general mobilization and war alert throughout Cuba.

Tuesday, October 23rd-
· Kennedy ordered six Crusader jets to fly a low-level reconnaissance mission. The mission, flown at 350 feet and at 350 knots, brought back amazing close-up pictures of the missile sites. It also showed that the Soviets were testing the missiles for launch. One of the pilots, William Ecker, commented that, “When you can almost see the writing on the side of the missiles, then you really know what you’ve got.” That evening, Kennedy, backed by the Western Hemisphere, signed Proclamation 3504 to authorize the Naval Interdiction.
· 26 Soviet ships are confirmed heading towards Cuba from the USSR.
· Kennedy tells ExCom: “No shooting without my explicit orders.”
· By the end of the day, the US ships had taken up position along the quarantine line, 800 miles from Cuba.
· The quarantine was to take effect at 10:00 a.m.
· Khrushchev responded to Kennedy’s letter.
· Kennedy responded in another letter that the crisis is the fault of Moscow.
· Khrushchev sent another letter to President Kennedy.
· Cuba called for a meeting at the U.N. Security Council to discuss the crisis.
· The Organization of American States (OAS), at the request of the US, approved a resolution calling for the removal of the missiles by unanimous vote (with 1 abstention).
· Reconnaissance photos reveal that Soviet missiles are ready for launch.
· McNamara, Kennedy review and discuss options of confrontation.

Wednesday, October 24th-
· The naval quarantine begins.
· At 10:25 a.m., Soviet ships reached the quarantine line, but received radio orders from Moscow to hold their positions. EX-COMM received a report that these Soviet ships were turning back without protest. Washington believed that Khrushchev was not yet ready to expand the crisis by challenging the blockade.
· Consideration begins of civil defense options and planning for possible Soviet responses in Berlin.
· It is concluded that unless we invade in the next ten days, the missile base crews in Cuba will likely fire at least some of the missiles at US targets.
· Detailed briefings on new reconnaissance photos from Cuba indicate that construction on the missile sites continues at an accelerated pace.
· Resulting discussions introduce the need to disperse military aircraft at Florida bases in the event of attacks by MIGs based in Cuba.
· McNamara talks of a very dangerous situation since the ships approaching the quarantine line are being shadowed by Soviet submarines.
· General Thomas Power, commander-in-chief of the Strategic Air Command, raises the alert level to DefCon 2, the highest level ever in US history. The notification, sent around the world, was purposefully left uncoded so the Soviets would know just how serious the Americans were.
· Khrushchev responded to this with another letter to the White House. It accused the President of “advancing an ultimatum and threatening that if we do not give in to your demands you will use force. Therefore, the Soviet Government cannot instruct the captains of the Soviet vessels bound for Cuba to observe the orders of the American naval forces blockading that island.”

Thursday, October 25th-
· Khrushchev received a response from Kennedy stating that the US was not going to back down. Still attempting to avoid war, Kennedy was looking for alternatives. In his syndicated column, journalist Walter Lippman suggested a “face-saving” missile exchange. Ideally, the Soviets would remove their missiles from Cuba and the Americans would remove their missiles from Turkey. This suggestion was shot-down, however, because government officials in both the United States and the Soviet Union misinterpreted it to be a trial balloon from the Kennedy administration. But after a CIA report announced that the quarantine had failed to halt progress in the development of the missile sites, Kennedy believed only an invasion or a trade like the one Lippman had suggested would work. Kennnedy also decided to enhance pressure by increasing the number of low-level flights over Cuba from twice per day to once every two hours.
· The U.S. Ambassador, Adlai Stevenson, confronted the Soviets and presented evidence at the United Nations. The Soviets refuse to answer any questions.
· UN Secretary General U Thant called for a “cooling off” period. Khrushchev agrees, but Kennedy does not.
· A ship bound for Cuba from USSR is boarded and inspected.
· Castro authorizes Cuba’s air-defense forces to fire on all American aircraft within range.

Friday, October 26
· Aleksandr Fomin, the KGB intelligence officer and station chief in Washington, and “an old, trusted friend” of Khrushchev hints that there might be a solution in a message sent through ABC reporter John Scali.. He proposed the dismantling of Soviet bases under UN supervision in exchange for a public promise from the US not to invade Cuba. Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, told Fomin that the US government saw real possibilities, but that time was very urgent, and the proposal could take too much time. At 6:00 that night, the White House received a letter from Khrushchev which stated that the Soviet Union would declare that all of their ships bound for Cuba were not carrying any armaments, if the US would not invade Cuba. At a meeting between Robert Kennedy and Ambassador Dobrynin later that night, the idea of trading Soviet missiles in Cuba for American missiles in Turkey came into play again.
· The CIA reported that the construction of the missile sites is continuing and accelerating.
· Robert Kennedy met secretly with Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin and agreed after a phone call to the president that the removal of US missiles from Turkey was negotiable as part of a comprehensive settlement.
· Khrushchev received a cable from Castro urging a nuclear first strike against the US in the event of an invasion of Cuba.

Saturday, October 27th- The climax of the crisis.
· Another letter, harsher and more demanding from Khrushchev arrived adding the removal of missiles from Turkey as a condition for removal of missiles in Cuba, and signaling a possible political coup in the works from hard-liners in the Soviet Union.
· A U-2 plane on a “routine air sampling mission” over western Alaska flew off course into Soviet Airspace. When he realized his mistake, the pilot immediately radioed for help. The rescue station operator was able to give him directions to turn his plane onto the right course. By that time, however, the Soviets had detected the U-2 and launched MiG fighters to intercept the spy plane. The Americans also launched their F-102 fighters to provide cover for the U-2. The F-102s, prepared for fighting, had been armed with nuclear tipped air-to-air missiles. The U-2 managed to leave Soviet air space in time and the two fighter groups never met. At the White House, Secretary of Defense McNamara feared that the Soviets could have interpreted the flight as a reconnaissance mission leading up to a nuclear strike.
· Around noon the same day, news reached EX-COMM that a U-2 pilot (Major Rudolf Anderson Jr.) had been shot down in a reconnaissance flight over Cuba by Soviet forces (under General G.A. Voronkov). The plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile and crashed in the island’s eastern jungle. EX-COMM had previously decided that if an American reconnaissance plane were to be shot down, the Air Force would retaliate by bombing the offending site. Now that it had actually happened, the Joint Chiefs, who had all-along been pressing for permission to bomb Cuba, began to press even harder. General Taylor insisted that, “no later than Monday morning, the 29th” the US should strike Cuba. Kennedy chose not to attack, but to wait for another plane to be shot down. Then he would order the destruction of the SAM site.
· Later in the day, a low-level reconnaissance mission was flown by six F8U-1P Crusader jets. Two of the jets aborted the mission early due to mechanical problems, but the remaining four continued on their course. As the fighters passed over the San Cristobal and Sagua la Grande missile sites, Cuban ground forces shot at the planes with anti-aircraft guns and small arms. One plane was hit by a 37mm shell but, fortunately, it returned safely.
· Kennedy then issued the order for attacks on Cuba to begin on Monday morning then changed his mind again and decided to accept the October 26 letter from the Soviets and to “pretend the October 27 letter didn’t exist”. At 8:05 pm he sent a response letter to Khrushchev.
· Robert Kennedy visited the Soviet embassy to make the offer: the US will remove the Jupiter missiles (from Turkey) within six months, but nothing can be said of this publicly. He adds that the US will deny such a claim if it is publicized. Soviet Ambassador Anatoly F. Dobrynin sent a cable to the Soviet Foreign Ministry, describing his conversation with Bobby Kennedy.

Sunday, October 28th-
· Khrushchev met with a circle of his advisers outside of Moscow. At the opening of the meeting, a general entered and read a statement he had just received that Kennedy was going to make an address to the nation at 5:00 pm. At that point, Khrushchev feared the worst. That address could be the announcement that an invasion of Cuba was already underway. Khrushchev was not prepared to start a war; therefore he and his advisors drafted a letter with the utmost urgency. When done, the letter was rushed to the broadcasting station. In a speech aired on Radio Moscow, Khrushchev read this letter to President Kennedy announcing the dismantling of Soviet missiles in Cuba and did not insist on his demands concerning the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey. Khrushchev hoped the message would reach Kennedy before 5:00 pm. The letter read:
Esteemed Mr. President:
“I have received your message of October 27, 1962. I express my satisfaction and gratitude for the sense of proportion and understanding of the responsibility borne by you at present for the preservation of peace throughout the world. In order to complete with greater speed the liquidation of the conflict, the Soviet Government, in addition to previously issued instructions on the cessation of further work at building sites for the weapons, has issued a new order on the dismantling of the weapons which you describe as “offensive,” and their crating.”
· The Soviet’s message is received in Washington at 9:00 am. The reaction among the EX-COMM members was mixed. Most were relieved, but others, especially the Joint Chiefs, considered the announcement a ploy by Khrushchev to buy more time. Kennedy ordered a halt to all reconnaissance flight.
· In Cuba, Castro was furious. Khrushchev had not had time to inform his ally in advance of the decision, so Castro learned about the agreement over the radio. In a letter to Khrushchev, Castro explained his thinking in ordering to shoot down American spy planes. Castro denounced the agreement and said a true solution would have included five more points:
(1) an end to the economic blockade against Cuba;
(2) an end to all subversive activities carried out from the United States against Cuba;
(3) a halt to all attacks on Cuba carried out from the US military bases on the island of Puerto Rico;
(4) the cessation of aerial and naval reconnaissance flights in Cuban airspace and waters;
(5) and the return of Guantanamo Naval Base to Cuba.
· Cuban troops took up positions around the Soviet nuclear missile sites.
· U.S. naval forces encircling Cuba included a joint force of 250,000 Marines and ground troops, over 1,000 planes and 250 naval vessels.

Monday, October 29th-
· Adlai Stevenson and John McCloy met with Vasily Kuznetsov in New York to work out the details of the agreement.
· Kennedy ordered US ships to remain on the quarantine line and authorized continuation of low-level reconnaissance flights.

Tuesday, October 30th-
· Khrushchev sent Castro a letter justifying his lack of consultation prior to the decision to remove the missiles.
· UN Secretary General U Thant traveled to Cuba to request Castro’s cooperation.

Wednesday, October 31st-
· Castro responds to Khrushchev, criticizing his performance.

Saturday, November 3rd-
· Cuban troops guarding Russian missile sites are withdrawn.

November 20th-
· The naval quarantine is ended after several weeks of negotiations after the Russians agree to withdraw Soviet IL-28 nuclear bombers from Cuba in 30 days.
· A UN inspection team monitored the removal of the missiles and the demolition of the missile bases in Cuba.
· The Soviet Navy shipped the missiles back to the USSR with the missiles sitting on the decks of the ships,
so that American reconnaissance planes could count the missiles and make sure that all had been removed.

In August 1963, Kennedy and Khrushchev signed an agreement to ban atmospheric nuclear testing.
In November 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated.
In October 1964, Khrushchev was removed from office by communist “hard liners.”

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