cuban missile crisis
In July of 1959, Fidel Castro led the revolution in Cuba, overthrowing Fulgencio Batista and adopting the position of leader. Castro had good relations with the United States at first, but when he tried to regain control of the Cuban sugar fields from the US he was threatened. He turned to the Soviet Union and Communism for protection, greatly upsetting the United States. In response, the US planned the Bay of Pigs invasion. The purpose of the invasion was to knock out the Communists in Cuba and replace Castro with someone friendlier to the US. They planned to train Cuban rebels and supply them with American weapons. Once they were train, the US would give the go ahead to start the rebellion, and would then join in. Halfway through the training process Kennedy won the Presidential Election. Fearing that he would back out of the invasion if given time, his advisors told him the Cuban were ready, and he should give the go ahead. He did, but when the rebellion started the US did not join the fighting. They set up blockades but it was not enough. In the end the rebels were captured, and their weapons traced back to the United States. The US was caught.
In July 1962, Nikita Khrushchev helped the Cubans build missile launchers, and supplied them with missiles. The United States, through the use of spy planes, obtained pictures of the missile sites. Kennedy set up a blockade to keep the Soviet ships carrying missiles from reaching Cuba. The fear over the next several days was that the Soviets would push through the blockades, starting WWIII. Since it was the Soviet Union that practiced brinkmanship, the US was able to force them into negotiation on their terms. Kennedy and Khrushchev eventually came to an agreement. It was publicized that the missiles in Cuba would be dismantled, and the US would leave Cuba alone and recognize it as a Communist nation. The unpublicized part of the negotiation was that the US would dismantle their missiles in Turkey.
In July 1962, Nikita Khrushchev helped the Cubans build missile launchers, and supplied them with missiles. The United States, through the use of spy planes, obtained pictures of the missile sites. Kennedy set up a blockade to keep the Soviet ships carrying missiles from reaching Cuba. The fear over the next several days was that the Soviets would push through the blockades, starting WWIII. Since it was the Soviet Union that practiced brinkmanship, the US was able to force them into negotiation on their terms. Kennedy and Khrushchev eventually came to an agreement. It was publicized that the missiles in Cuba would be dismantled, and the US would leave Cuba alone and recognize it as a Communist nation. The unpublicized part of the negotiation was that the US would dismantle their missiles in Turkey.