The Cuban Missile Crisis: A President's Finest Moment

The United States and the Soviet Union never went to war with one another during the Cold War, but they came extremely close in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The way the situation was handled and resolved are testaments to the abilities of both men in charge, President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

When the missiles were discovered on October 18, 1962 President Kennedy immediately went into action to quickly decide on a response. The quickest and perhaps easiest response would have been to attack the island, an option the military was pushing heavily. President Kennedy called together members of his cabinet in a group nicknamed EX-COMM (Executive Committee) to come up with an acceptable response quickly. EX-COMM was a small group of Kennedy administration officials, but others, such as former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, were also brought in for their advice.

The unique thing about the EX-COMM meetings was that the president was not in attendance for most of the meetings. Kennedy felt his presence was quieting debate among the members, so he asked Attorney General, and younger brother, Robert Kennedy to run the meetings. This unusual move allowed for a free exchange of many different ideas and opinions that would help the president come to a decision on a proper and effective response.

The decision to blockade Cuba is another example of Kennedy's abilities. Instead of an attack that would have immediately started a war with the Soviet Union, a blockade gave the Soviet's time to decide how to respond, while demonstrating the United States was serious about getting the missiles out of Cuba. If the missiles had been allowed to remain in Cuba it would have been a psychological and strategic victory for the Soviets and a violation of the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary, which had been the staples of United States foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere for decades.

Both leaders were presented with opportunities to attack the other but showed the strength and intelligence to resist. The Soviets attempted to run the blockade but stopped at the last moment. An American U2 plane was shot down over Cuba. President Kennedy decided that one man's life was not worth starting a war that could lead to the death of millions. The United States increased the DEFCON level, a signal that war was a possibility. A U2 flew into Soviet air space, another act that could be interpreted as a prelude to war. It has been recently discovered that the missiles were basically operational before they were even discovered, something the Kennedy administration did not know. They believed the missiles would not be ready for approximately thirteen days. This shows that Khrushchev showed tremendous restraint since the missiles could have been launched in an attack or some kind of demonstration that would have changed the complexion of the situation.

The Cuban Missile Crisis is a testament to the strength and intelligence of two world leaders. Although enemies, both President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev were able to keep the bigger picture in site. It can be argued the crisis was Kennedy's finest moment and one of Khrushchev's worst. Khrushchev had to publically admit a mistake and remove the missiles. The world was probably the big winner, since war was avoided. Regardless of who won or lost, the crisis is a great example of foreign policy carried out in a complex manner at a dangerous time.