Khrushchev-Kennedy+Letters

=The letters from Khrushchev to Kennedy regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis=

Layla Nelson
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The responsibility for the Cuban Missile Crisis is sometimes placed on the American and Soviet leaders. Kennedy was humiliated by the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion and his meeting with Khrushchev at the Vienna Summit in 1962 deepened his frustration further. Kennedy thought the Vienna Summit was a disaster and he wanted to demonstrate more strength to the confident and bold Khrushchev. Although many criticized Kennedy for not doing anything about the erection of the Berlin Wall, he was apparently able to convince Khrushchev that he was capable of starting a nuclear war. On October 28, 1962 it was broadcasted that the Soviet leader would dismantle the Cuban missiles and end the crisis.

The relations between these two leaders were unique in many ways. It was the first informal written exchange between Cold War leaders. The letters were reliable, direct, and crucial for avoiding catastrophe during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The relationship between Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy was one of the first to spark communication, understanding, and trust between international leaders today. The letters were used to give both men a chance to exchange ideas in an informal and personal way, although some of them were made public immediately. The correspondence between Kennedy and Khrushchev presented Foreign Relations with special problems. Since neither men spoke the same language, the letters had to be translated and it wasn’t always clear where or whom this was done by.

The first letter sent on October 16, 1962 regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis from Nikita Khrushchev to John F. Kennedy was an appeal attempting to convince Kennedy to not invade Cuba & end the United States blockade. If he agreed, Khrushchev would stop Russian shipments of armaments to Cuba. The letter blamed the entire crisis on Kennedy. Khrushchev made it seem like evil America was threatening the perfection of communist countries across the globe. He portrayed communists to be a group of hard-working peasant farmers who want nothing more than peace. In the letter, Khrushchev claimed that the Russian missiles that were sold to Cuba were simply a way for the Cubans to defend themselves.

On October 27, another letter from Khrushchev arrived at Kennedy’s office. It suggested that the missile installations in Cuba would only be removed if Kennedy removed the American missiles in Turkey. Kennedy decided to ignore this second letter & accept the offer outlined in the first.

Although Khrushchev said that the Cuban missiles were merely for defense, they were in fact a way for him to compensate for the American missiles next door to Russia in Turkey & they would help him win a public relations victory. They would also take the pressure off his failed home economic strategy. Khrushchev’s letter promised Kennedy that the Cuban Missile Crisis would end if America didn’t use military force against Cuba. It looks as if Khrushchev used his first letter to taunt the American government with the idea of an easy ending to the crisis. The letter proves that Fidel Castro really didn’t have much to do with the Cuban Missile Crisis & everything was worked out between Russia & the US. The letters succeeded in helping to end the crisis but although both sides got what they wanted, neither had won anything.