How Did John F Kennedy Avoid The Cuban Missile Crisis

Take a step back over fifty years to 1961 when John F. Kennedy, the youngest president to be elected, was in office. John F. Kennedy is well known for many things throughout his presidency, with one being his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis against the Soviet Union in Cuba. This mark in history ultimately had our country trembling in the fear of a nuclear war that would affect us all. President Kennedy stopped what would have been devastating for the whole world and not just Cuba, Russia, and the United States. There has always been an arms race among various countries, but when a crisis, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, is discovered a practical, precise, and strategic strategy must be made to avoid such a crisis. John F. Kennedy’s role
in the Cuban Missile Crisis was as peaceful as possible yet strong, which saved our country from destruction. On October 16, 1962, the nuclear missiles in Cuba were spotted by U-2 planes and began the spiraling events over the course of thirteen days between the Soviet Union and the United States.
One of the first moves that John F. Kennedy did was to keep the information he knew a secret to Cuba and the Soviet Union. This allowed him time to meet with advisors and create a strategic plan for avoiding a nuclear war. Everything occurred as usual for the President till the fifth day when President Kennedy suddenly returned to Washington for a meeting with his top advisors. It wasn’t until this time that John F. Kennedy decided to go with a forceful approach and use a nautical blockade just around Cuba. This forced Cuba to become quarantined, which prevented the Soviets from bringing in offensive military supplies. The blockade approach was not meant to harbor necessities needed for living, only to limit the transportation of military cargo. John F. Kennedy was very meticulous during this terrifying time with daily meetings, strategic plans, and thoroughly thought out decisions for America’s well-being (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum n.d.). Although John F. Kennedy wanted an as peaceful approach as possible, other options were taken into
consideration. In regards to the different plans of action, the Defense Secretary had proposed other suggestions on how to handle the missile crisis during the meetings and a blockade was the most aggressive yet peaceful approach out of the three. The least effective method would have been the more political view with “diplomatic communications with Castro and Khrushchev” (Thompson 1992, 191). This would be the most passive tactic and would accomplish the least out of the three options. Using this method would have allowed Castro and Khrushchev to gain knowledge of what the United States has seen in Cuba. Leading to a possible war since Castro and Khrushchev would have had time to prepare or change things in their favor. However, President Kennedy had already committed to a meeting with the Soviet Ambassador before the photographs surfaced. This allowed the United States the ability to lie and set traps prior to the Soviets realizing the United States knew about their secret attempt to a nuclear war. Technically, this method was applied partially before the blockade choice was made (Norman Polmar 2006, 110-11). On the other hand, there was another option proposed which would use aerial strikes on the missiles. President Kennedy had met with “General Walter C. Sweeney of the Tactical Air Command” (Norman Polmar 2006, 123) to evaluate the probability of an air strike destroying the missiles, which was not the most tactical approach. General Sweeney had informed the President that the possibility of an air strike would not eliminate all missiles. The issue with this plan of attack was that the United States only knew of the missiles photographed during surveillances. There was no proof of no other Although John F. Kennedy did not see this method being the best approach, he also was weighing the option of an air strike if the blockade failed. Many of President’s Kennedy’s advisors opted for this unrelenting action. However, taking this approach would have landed the United States in a predicament with the Soviet military sure to retaliate in some way creating another war between superpowers. Consequently, President Kennedy took the utmost tranquil plan of action against the Russians, although a forceful approach it reaped the benefits of avoiding a nuclear-powered war. If a different plan of approach would have been taken, not only Americans but the world would be a different place today. Most Americans, even today, see how John F. Kennedy’s role and decisions were so essential during the Cuban Missile Crisis and avoiding a nuclear war. Ultimately, the personality, advisors, and role as President are what led the country to a victory of circumventing a nuclear war with a fellow superpower.