Cuban Missle Crisis

1. Kennedy described Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 27 as the darkest days of the crisis. Use the information on page 350 to explain why.
On Oct. 24 20 soviet ships neared the blcokade with the apperent intentinon of attacking, but then left. War almost started. On October 17 a U2 spy plane was shot down and its pilot killed over Cuba, war almost happened again.
2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?
On those two days i think it was possible.
3. Is Source 26 a Soviet or an American cartoon? Explain your answer by referring to the details in the cartoon.
American because it shows Kruschev shaking with exertion. It looks as though he is the one weakening and JFK staying strong.
4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.

Why did the Soviet Union place nuclear missiles on Cuba?
To bargain with the USA
Ussr trying to remove missles from table only if US makes concessions
To test the USA
The USSR wanted to see if the US was strong enough to stand up to the USSR. And Kruschev wanted to see if JFK was a strong president.
To trap the USA
To try to get the USA to start a nuclear war.
To get the upper hand in the arms race
To prevent the US from launching a first-strike against the USSR.
To defend Cuba
The USSR wanted to have a niche in the western hemisphere.
5. Choose the explanation(s) that you think best fit what you have found out about the crisis. Explain your choice.
I think the USSR was just trying to use the Cuban missles as a bargaining piece but also so if the US attacked them, they got strike back fast. I do not think the USSR was trying to start a nuclear war because on Wednesday the 24 of OCtober their ships did not attack the American bloackade.