Cuban Missile Crisis
October 14, 1962 – October 28, 1962
Political
Religious
October 22, 1962, President John Kennedy told Americans about the presence of the missiles, explained his decision to place a naval blockade around Cuba to stop the soviet union from delivering missiles to Cuba. Following this news, many people feared the world was on the brink of nuclear war. but this was avoided when the U.S. agreed to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s offer to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba. Also Kennedy also secretly agreed to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey.
FACT! The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted for thirteen or fourteen days.
Social
When FDR announced the crisis, fear swept through families across America, knowing that there is a chance of having a Nuclear War. During school, children would have to know so many procedures, just in case a missile comes. They would do the "duck and cover" method.
Economic
Artistic
Thirteen Days
Propaganda
Propaganda
Intellectual
Media in the United States covering the Cuban Missile crisis at the time was strictly supporting America, not giving all the points. Most of the news article during that time tells the citizens that it was a surprise that the Soviet brought missile to Cuba, it was a direct threat to peace and security by the Soviets, and it was due to Kennedy’s administration courage with intelligence that prevented nuclear war. However, many did not mention also that it was the United States was first to place missiles in Turkey that cover all of Russia. The missiles we had were called “Jupiter Missiles” and they are only meant for preemptive strike, attacking first. We had 9 times as much nuclear weapon as the soviets. All this factors show the soviets that we are willing to attack them if the moment was right. The soviets know this and so they had to deter it by sending missiles Cuba.
According to media, President Kennedy said it was a “surprise”. This is like throwing junk into the neighbor’s lawn and then be surprised when he comes knocking on your door. In the matter of peace and security, the Soviet action was the one actually deterring the war. Sending Cuba nuclear arms was like delivering weapons to an ally, it was legal in international laws. Blockade by the United States was not. We've threatened Russia with big missiles first, then we broke a law by blockading. Yet the media still managed to say that all our actions are logical and makes sense. From this incident, a conclusion could be made that information during this time are still biased and the propaganda from the previous World War has not ceased.