The Soviets already knew that the US had nuclear missiles in Turkey, placing nuclear missiles in Cuba would simply achieve nuclear parity. Also following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion the leader of Cuba Fidel Castro wanted assurance from the Soviets of their security against future invasion, the Soviets believed that nuclear missiles would provide this security at the least cost.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban missile crisis
Organization of American States (OAS)
Cuba. The reason the USSR put missiles there was to get rid of the U.S. Jupiter missiles in Turkey. Both were removed.
Cuba
The Cuban Missile Crisis
balls sack
Cuban missile crisis
The Soviet Union.
Organization of American States (OAS)
Turkey
Cuba. The reason the USSR put missiles there was to get rid of the U.S. Jupiter missiles in Turkey. Both were removed.
Cuba
Kennedy responded to Soviet missiles in Cuba by a naval quarantine of Cuba to prevent the shipment of new missiles coupled with nuclear threat. When soviet ships carrying missiles were near to Cuba, the were stopped by American ships and ordered to turn back. No one in the US knew what the Soviets might do, but they turned back peacefully.There have already been tensions between Cuba and the US ever since Castro came to power in the late 1950s. Cuba became communist and began negotiations with the Soviet Union (The US's enemy during the Cold War). The Soviet Union wanted to counter the US missiles in Turkey by sending intermediate ranged missiles into Cuba. This action caused panic within America and President Kennedy was forced to promise that he would no longer attempt to overthrow Castro or the Cuba government and he would take his missiles out of Turkey if the Soviet Union took their missiles out of the Cuba.He ordered a Quarantine on cuba and stopped the soviet ships from bringing any missiles to cuba. This was due to concerns that the soviets can attack the west.
That was in 1962 and the US acted correctly in stopping ships carrying missiles to Cuba.
If the Soviet Union was successful in stationing missiles in cuba they would have had a powerful tool to impact American actions due to the proximity of them to the U.S. They felt threatened by US missiles already in Turkey.
The Soviets could easily land an attack on the United States from Cuba.