THIRTEEN
DAYS
1
THIRTEEN DAYS HOMEWORK QUESTIONS
NAME____________________
1.
WHAT IS KENNY O’DONNELL’S JOB?
2.
WHAT ARE THE SOVIETS PUTTING IN TO CUBA?
3.
WHAT IS THEIR RANGE?
4.
WHY DOES THE MOVIE GO BLACK / WHITE? WHAT JUST
HAPPENED?
5.
HOW MANY MISSILES HAVE THEY FOUND?
6.
HOW MUCH WARNING TIME WOULD U.S. CITIES HAVE?
7.
HOW MANY PEOPLE COULD BE KILLED?
8.
WHAT IS THE FIRST STRIKE POLICY?
9.
HOW LONG BEFORE THE MISSILES ARE OPERATIONAL?
10.
WHAT DO THEY CALL THE COMMITTEE THAT BOBBY LEADS
TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS?
11.
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH THE AIR STRIKE? WHAT IS THE
RECOMMENDATION OF THE JOINT CHIEFS?
12.
WHAT ARE THE THREE OPTIONS?
1.
2.
3.
2
13.
WHAT ARE THE MILITARY ADVISORS REACTIONS TO
KENNEDY NOT MAKING A DECISION?
14.
WHAT OTHER OPTION DO THEY COME UP WITH?
15.
WHAT IS THE NEW SITUATION ON THURS. OCT. 18TH WITH
THE MISSILES?
16.
WHY DO YOU THINK THE MILITARY MEN ARE PUSHING SO
HARD FOR WAR?
17.
WHAT DOES THE RUSSIAN ADVISOR GROMYKO TELL
KENNEDY ABOUT THEIR WEAPONS IN CUBA?
18.
WHY DOES KENNY THREATEN THE REPORTER, TO NOT
PRINT HIS STORY? WOULD THIS EVER HAPPEN IN THE
WORLD TODAY?
19.
WHY DO THEY CALL IT A QUARANTINE?
20.
WHAT ARE NOW THE 3 OPTIONS?
1.
2.
3.
WHY DO THEY IGNORE ADLAIS’ DEAL?
21.
22.
WHEN THE PRESIDENT CALLED THE N.Y. TIMES, DO YOU
THINK THAT WOULD HAPPEN IN TODAY’S SOCIETY?
23.
WHAT DOES DEFCON 3 MEAN?
24.
WHY DO YOU THINK TED COULD NOT WRITE THE
AIRSTRIKES VERSION OF THE SPEECH?
25.
WHY DOES O’DONNELL THINK THEY ARE BEING SET UP BY
THE MILITARY ADVISORS ( LOW-LEVEL FLIGHTS)
3
26.
WHY DOES O’DONNELL TELL COMMANDER ECKER NOT TO
BE SHOT AT OR SHOT DOWN?
27.
WHY DOES JFK NEED A UNANIMOUS VOTE TO SUPPORT THE
QUARANTINE ACT OF WAR?
28.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FAMILIES IN CASE OF NUCLEAR
WAR?
29.
WHAT DO MOST OF THE RUSSIAN SHIPS DO WHEN THEY
APPROACH THE QUARANTINE LINE?
30.
WHO GIVES THE ORDER TO GO TO DEFCON 2? WHAT MIGHT
THIS CAUSE?
31.
WHY IS TRADING OUR MISSILES IN TURKEY FOR THOSE IN
CUBA SEEN LIKE SUCH A BAD IDEA?
32.
WHAT JOB DOES ADLAI STEVENSON HAVE?
33.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT THE U.S. MAKE RUSSIA LOOK
LIKE THE AGGRESSOR?
34.
WHY DOES MCNAMARA FREAK OUT WHEN THE SHIP FIRES
STAR SHELLS?
35.
WHAT IF THE RUSSIANS THOUGHT THEY WERE FIND UPON
WHAT COULD THAT CAUSE?
4
36.
WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY LANGUAGE?
37.
HOW DOES IT MAKE THE U.S. LOOK WHEN THE MILITARY IS
RUNNING NUCLEAR TESTS?
38.
WHAT IS A BACK-CHANNEL OVERTURE?
39.
WHY DO THEY THINK THE SECOND LETTER IS NOT FROM
KRUSCHEV?
40.
WHY IS INVADING CUBA A PROBLEM NOW?
41.
WHAT HAPPENS TO MAJOR ANDERSON (U-2) PILOT?
42.
WHAT DOES JFK DO IN REACTION TO THIS?
43.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF O’DONNELL
GOING TO HIS SON’S FB GAME?
-WHAT DO YOU THINK HE IS TRYING TO TELL HIM?
44.
WHY IS THE DEAL IN TURKEY SUCH A BAD IDEA?
45.
WHAT KIND OF DEAL DO THEY THINK WILL WORK NOW?
46.
WHAT IS THE RISK OF MAKING AN OFFER?
47.
WHY DO YOU THINK O’DONNELL IS SO EMOTIONAL THE
NEXT MORNING AFTER THE PHONE RINGS?
5
MOVIE NOTES
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
WORKSHEET
NAME____________________
VOCABULARY
ARMS RACE –
NAVAL QUARANTINE –
RECONNAISANCE –
1.
THE TWO MAIN SUPER POWER COUNTRIES WERE _________
AND __________.
2.
THEIR LEADERS WERE __________ _______________ OF THE U.S.
AND __________ ______________ OF ______________.
3.
__________ _______________ WAS THE LEADER OF CUBA.
4.
LIST 2 REASONS WHY HE WOULD APPROVE OF SOVIET
MISSILES PLACED IN HIS COUNTRY.
1.
2.
5.
KRUSCHEV’S FIRST LETTER TO KENNEDY SAID THAT RUSSIA
WOULD REMOVE THE MISSILES IF THE U.S GUARANTEED
NOT TO _______________ CUBA.
6.
HIS 2ND LETTER ADDED THAT SOVIET MISSILES WOULD
ONLY BE REMOVED IF THE U.S. REMOVED MISSILES FROM
7
____________________.
7.
ROBERT KENNEDY ADVISED HIS BROTHER TO ______________
THE 1ST LETTER AND ______________ THE SECOND LETTER.
8.
THIS EPISODE WAS THE _______________ THE WORLD HAS
EVER COME TO ______________ ___________________.
8
An Overview of the Crisis
For the United States, the crisis began on October
15, 1962 when reconnaissance
photographs revealed Soviet missiles under
construction in Cuba. Early the next day, President
John Kennedy was informed of the missile
installations. Kennedy immediately organized
the EX-COMM, a group of his twelve most
important advisors to handle the crisis. After seven
days of guarded and intense debate within the
upper echelons of government, Kennedy concluded
to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. He
wished to prevent the arrival of more Soviet
offensive weapons on the island. On October
22, Kennedy announced the discovery of the
missile installations to the public and his decision to
quarantine the island. He also proclaimed that any
nuclear missile launched from Cuba would be
regarded as an attack on the United States by the
Soviet Union and demanded that the Soviets
remove all of their offensive weapons from Cuba.
"Nuclear catastrophe was hanging by a thread ...
and we weren't counting days or hours, but
minutes."
-Soviet General and Army Chief of Operations,
Anatoly Gribkov
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world
ever came to nuclear war. The United States armed
forces were at their highest state of readiness ever
and Soviet field commanders in Cuba were
prepared to use battlefield nuclear weapons to
defend the island if it was invaded. Luckily, thanks
to the bravery of two men,President John F.
Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, war was
averted.
In 1962, the Soviet Union was desperately behind
the United States in the arms race. Soviet missiles
were only powerful enough to be launched against
Europe but U.S. missiles were capable of striking
the entire Soviet Union. In late April 1962, Soviet
Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of
placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba. A
deployment in Cuba would double the Soviet
strategic arsenal and provide a real deterrent to a
potential U.S. attack against the Soviet Union.
During the public phase of the Crisis, tensions
began to build on both sides. Kennedy eventually
ordered low-level reconnaissance missions once
every two hours. On the 25th Kennedy pulled the
quarantine line back and raised military readiness
to DEFCON 2. Then on the 26th EX-COMM heard
from Khrushchev in an impassioned letter. He
proposed removing Soviet missiles and personnel if
the U.S. would guarantee not to invade Cuba.
October 27 was the worst day of the crisis. A U2 was shot down over Cuba and EX-COMM
received a second letter from Khrushchev
demanding the removal of U.S. missiles in Turkey
in exchange for Soviet missiles in Cuba. Attorney
General Robert Kennedy suggested ignoring the
second letter and contacted Soviet Ambassador
Anatoly Dobrynin to tell him of the U.S. agreement
with the first.
Meanwhile, Fidel Castro was looking for a way to
defend his island nation from an attack by the U.S.
Ever since the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961,
Castro felt a second attack was inevitable.
Consequently, he approved of Khrushchev's plan to
place missiles on the island. In the summer of 1962
the Soviet Union worked quickly and secretly to
build its missile installations in Cuba.
Tensions finally began to ease on October 28 when
Khrushchev announced that he would dismantle
the installations and return the missiles to the
Soviet Union, expressing his trust that the United
States would not invade Cuba. Further negotiations
were held to implement the October 28 agreement,
including a United States demand that Soviet light
bombers be removed from Cuba, and specifying
the exact form and conditions of United States
assurances not to invade Cuba.
9
convinced the U.S. was serious about invading
Cuba.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Briefing Room
When Castro came to power, the U.S. stopped
buying Cuban sugar and supplying oil. It also
snubbed Castro when he visited the United
Nations. Khrushchev, on the other hand, treated
him like a friend offering to trade with Cuba.
Therefore, Castro turned to the Soviets for
protection from a U.S. invasion. The Soviets rushed
to aid Castro, seeing an opportunity to make their
presence felt closer to the United States.
(http://library.thinkquest.org/11046/briefing/index.ht
ml)
Introduction
The closest the world has come to nuclear war was
the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. The
Soviets had installed nuclear missiles in Cuba, just
90 miles off the coast of the United States. U.S.
armed forces were at their highest state of
readiness. Soviet field commanders in Cuba were
authorized to use tactical nuclear weapons if
invaded by the U.S. The fate of millions literally
hinged upon the ability of two men, President John
F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, to
reach a compromise.
These factors led to the placement of Soviet
missiles in Cuba.
The Crisis Begins
Monday, October 15
The crisis began on Monday, October 15, when
photos taken by U-2 pilot Richard Heyser
revealed SS-4 nuclear missiles in Cuba. Check out
the Recon Room which provides an in depth look at
recon during the crisis.
Causes of the Crisis
U.S. - Soviet Relations
Tuesday,
October 16
Fifteen years into the cold war, the new American
president and the Soviet premier met in Vienna to
discuss the east-west confrontation, in particular,
the situation in Berlin. They resolved nothing,
and Khrushchev left the June 1961 summit thinking
Kennedy was a weak president. The superpowers
continued to increase their military strength. The
Soviets felt threatened because the U.S. still had
more missiles. More importantly, some of those
missiles were based in Turkey, just 150 miles from
the U.S.S.R. These increasing tensions would
inevitably lead to a showdown, somewhere,
sometime. That place was Cuba.
Kennedy was
informed of the
missiles at
breakfast the next
day. He
convened his 12
most important
advisors, known
as EX-COMM.
Most of them
supported an air
strike followed by
an invasion. However, they weren't aware that
Khrushchev, knowing communications between
Moscow and Cuba were unreliable, had authorized
Soviet field commanders in Cuba to use tactical
nuclear missiles if the U.S. invaded.
U.S.-Castro Relations and Cuban-Soviet
Friendship
Cuban Premier Fidel Castro was aware of several
U.S. attempts to oust him since he had come to
power in 1959. One was the failed Bay of
Pigs invasion by CIA-backed Cuban exiles in 1961.
Another was the 1962 mock invasion of a
Caribbean island by U.S. armed forces to
overthrow a fictitious dictator whose name, Ortsac,
was Castro spelled backwards. Castro was
Kennedy wanted to appear tough yet avoid military
confrontation. Some advisors recommended a
blockade.
10
No matter what action the U.S. took regarding
Cuba, EX-COMM expected Khrushchev to retaliate.
ones we know about." The President then asked
about casualties, both civilian and military. The
answer was 10 to 20,000. This influenced
Kennedy's decision to forego an air strike and set
up a blockade around Cuba.
Soviet Denial
Wednesday, October 17 to Saturday, October 20
Another U-2 flight discovered bombers being
rapidly assembled and cruise missile sites being
built on Cuba's northern shore.
The press learned there were offensive weapons in
Cuba and questioned Kennedy. The President
asked the reporters not to break the news until he
informed the American people on network
television the next evening. If they denied him the
element of surprise, he warned, "I don't know what
the Soviets will do."
To maintain secrecy, Kennedy followed his planned
schedule which included campaign trips to
Connecticut and the Midwest. In between trips, a U2 flight discovered SS-5 missiles, which could
reach most of the continental U.S., and Kennedy
met with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrie Gromyko.
He told him the U.S. would not tolerate offensive
weapons in Cuba. Gromyko denied the Soviets had
anything of the kind on the island.
The Public Phase
Monday, October 22
On Saturday, October 20, Robert Kennedy called
the President in Chicago to tell him he must return
to meet withEX-COMM. The President finally
agreed. Telling the press he had an "upper
respiratory infection," he returned to Washington.
The public
phase of the
crisis began on
Monday,
October 22.
When Senate
leaders were
told about the
missiles in
Cuba, they
called for air
strikes, but
Kennedy stood
firm on his decision for a blockade.
Sunday, October 21
U.S. ships prepared for the quarantine. Marines
reinforced the base at Guantanamo Bay. Military
alert was raised to DEFCON 3. Instructions were
given to be ready to launch missiles within minutes
of the President's speech. You can view a video
The next day, Kennedy asked if the Air Force could
take out all the missiles. The reply was, "Only the
11
clip or see the complete text from that speech by
going to the multi-media page.
Thursday, October 25
In response to Kennedy's speech, Castro mobilized
all of Cuba's military forces.
Tuesday, October 23
A low level reconnaissance mission brought back
stunning pictures of missiles prepared for launch.
One of the pilots, William Ecker, commented,
"When you can almost see the writing on the side
of the missiles, then you really know what you've
got." You can go to the Recon Room to see actual
recon photos from the crisis plus a video clip of this
event.
Thursday, October 25. Military alert was raised to
DEFCON 2, the highest ever in U.S. history. The
military could, at a moment's notice, launch an
attack on Cuba or the Soviet Union.
The Organization of American States unanimously
approved the U.S. decision to quarantine Cuba.
U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson confronted the
Soviets at the U.N. They refused to answer any
questions.
By the end of the day, U.S. ships at the quarantine
line were prepared to destroy any ship that failed to
stop at that line.
Friday, October 26
Friday, October 26. The U.S. Navy searched the
Soviet ship Marcula and cleared it to Cuba when
they found only paper products. EXCOMM received a letter from Khrushchev in reply
to Kennedy's speech. The letter clearly was
painstakingly written. The Soviets would remove
their missiles if Kennedy publicly guaranteed the
U.S. would never invade Cuba.
Confrontation and Compromise
Wednesday, October 24
Wednesday, October 24. Soviet ships approached
the quarantine line. EX-COMM wondered if
Khrushchev had had enough time to instruct the
ship captains.
Another U-2 flight revealed the Soviets were
camoflauging the missiles.
Later that day, they got their answer. Soviet ships
stopped dead in the water after receiving a radio
message from Moscow. To quote Secretary of
State Dean Rusk, "We were eyeball to eyeball and
the other guy just blinked."
Saturday, October 27
Saturday, October 27. The worst day of the crisis.
One U-2 flew off course into Russia; another was
shot down. A second letter arrived from
Khrushchev.
This did not mean, however, that the crisis was
over.
A U-2 on a routine mission picked the wrong star to
navigate by and wandered over Russia. In trouble,
the pilot alerted the rescue station which
dispatched F-105s. Unknown to the American pilot,
the fighters carried nuclear tipped missiles. If the
Soviets had interpreted this as a final
reconnaissance mission before a nuclear attack,
this could have touched off a nuclear war.
12
Another U-2, attempting to get updated pictures of
the missile sites, was shot down over Cuba on
orders of a Soviet commander on site. The orders
had not come from Moscow. This worried
Khrushchev. Due to poor communication, similar
incidents could occur again, without his
consultation.
22nd, it took Kennedy and Khrushchev seven days
to reach a compromise. They used various written
communiques and television and radio speeches to
negotiate with one another. This somewhat
unreliable and indirect form of communication
nearly led to nuclear war. If Khrushchev had not
agreed to remove the missiles, the U.S. would have
invaded Cuba within days. In that event, the
Soviets would have launched their battlefield
nuclear weapons. Then Kennedy would have had
no choice but to launch U.S. missiles at Cuba or,
more likely, the Soviet Union. Realizing how close
they had come to disaster, Kennedy and
Khrushchev established the "hot line" between the
White House and the Kremlin so they could speak
directly.
Khrushchev's second letter to Kennedy raised the
price for removing the missiles. In addition to a
public statement about not invading Cuba he also
wanted U.S. missiles removed from Turkey. This
suggested that hard-liners had pressured
Khrushchev. EX-COMM debated how to handle this
letter. Robert Kennedy suggested they ignore it and
respond only to the first.
Nine months after the
crisis, Kennedy and
Khrushchev signed an
agreement to ban
nuclear testing in the
atmosphere. This
marked the beginning of
what seemed to be a
new willingness to
cooperate and
communicate. However,
on November 22nd, 1963, President Kennedy was
assassinated in Dallas. Eleven months later,
Premier Khrushchev was removed from office by
Communist hard liners. One can't help but wonder
what would have happened if these two men had
stayed in power. Perhaps the same two people who
had brought us so close to nuclear war, changed by
that experience, could have brought us far from it.
Sunday, October 28
Sunday, October 28. Khrushchev announced over
Radio Moscow that the Soviets would dismantle
their nuclear missiles in Cuba. Khrushchev could
have insisted that the U.S. respond to the greater
demands in the second letter, but he did not. By
backing down, Khrushchev ruined his career but
prevented nuclear disaster.
Conclusion
Poor communication
contributed to the
escalation of the
Cuban Missile Crisis.
In 1962, there was no
direct and immediate
link between the
American and Soviet
leaders. Once the
crisis entered its public
phase on October
13
MOVIE REVIEW
NAME____________________
DATE____________________
TITLE OF MOVIE_____________________________________
STARRING:
______________________________________
______________________________________
THE BASIC PLOT OF THIS MOVIE WAS: ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE: ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2 THINGS I DISLIKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE: ____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2 THINGS ABOUT THIS MOVIE THAT LOOKED HISTORICALLY ACCURATE _______
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
14
2 THINGS ABOUT THIS MOVIE THAT LOOKED HISTORICALLY INACCURATE _____
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
ON A SCALE OF 1-5 STARS, I WOULD GIVE THIS MOVIE __________ STARS,
BECAUSE ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
I WOULD OR WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO A FRIEND BECAUSE ____
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
15