What Were Kennedys Options? Flashcards
What happened on October the 14th 1962?
Missiles spotted in Cuba
What happened on the 16th of October?
Kennedy set up a meeting of the national security council where OPTIONS are discussed
What were the 5 options Kennedy had?
1) do nothing
2) air attack
3) invasion
4) diplomatic pressures
5) blockade
Give two positives of the do nothing option?
1) USA could destroy USSR because they still had vastly great nuclear power
2) the biggest danger to world peace would be to over react
Give two negatives of the do nothing option?
1) USSR lied about Cuban missiles- 2) to do nothing would be a sign of weakness
What would the option air attack do?
An immediate selected air attack to destroy nuclear bases
Give a positive of the air attack option.
1) it would destroy the missiles before they were ready to use
What are two negatives of the option air attack?
1) destruction of all sites could not be guaranteed - even one left undamaged could launch a counter attack against the USA
2) attack would kill soviet soldiers - USSR might retaliate
What would the invasion option do?
All out invasion of Cuba by sea and air
What is a positive of the invasion option?
An invasion would not only get rid of missiles but Castro as well. The American forces were already trained and available to do it
What is a negative of the invasion option?
It would guarantee an equivalent soviet response, either to protect Cuba or within the soviet sphere of influence. For example a takeover of Berlin
What was diplomatic pressures option?
To get the United Nations to intervene and negotiate
What is a positive of the diplomatic pressure option?
It would avoid conflict
What is a negative of the diplomatic pressure option?
If the USA was founded forced to back down it would be a sign of weakness
What was the blockade option?
Us navy “stop and search” on soviet ships to prevent any further military supplies being sent to Cuba. Call for the USSR to remove what’s already there
