4. The First Week of the Crisis (14-22 October)

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about the first week of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the ‘secret’ or ‘private’ phase of the crisis, lasting from 14 to 22 October. In particular, we focus on: (i) Kennedy’s initial reaction to the situation in Cuba; (ii) the options available to Kennedy, both military and diplomatic, and the arguments for and against each options; and (iii) Kennedy’s famous ‘Cuban Missile Speech’ to the American nation, delivered on 22 October 1962.

Course

In this course, Professor Mark White (Queen Mary, University of London) explores one of the most crucial events of the Cold War - the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. We begin by thinking about the background to the Cuban Missile Crisis, including Kennedy’s policies towards Cuba in 1961 and early 1962 – and especially the Bay of Pigs Invasion. In the second module, we examine Nikita Khrushchev’s decision to install medium-range nuclear missiles in Cuba. In the third module, we think about events from late summer through to early autumn, by which point the situation in Cuba has become a major talking-point in US politics. In the fourth module, we think about the ‘private’ phase of the crisis between 14-22 October, before turning in the fifth module to the ‘public’ phase of the crisis between 22-28 October.

Lecturer

Mark White is Professor of History at Queen Mary, University of London, specialising in US foreign policy in the Cold War and the US presidency since 1945. His recent publications include Against the President: Dissent and Decision-Making in the White House (2007) and The Presidency of Bill Clinton: The Legacy of a New Domestic and Foreign Policy (2012)