Bay of Pigs Invasion, Berlin
Crisis, and Cuban Missile Crisis
What impact did the Bay of Pigs,
Berlin Crisis, and Cuban Missile Crisis
have on the Cold War?
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
Started with Eisenhower and followed with Kennedy.
Conceived by the CIA to overthrow Fidel Castro, the
invasion involved Cuban exiles who had fled Castro’s
rule and settled in the United States.
The Bay of Pigs mission failed.
Kennedy took responsibility
for the mission’s failure.
The President said,
however, that he would
continue to resist efforts
by the communists to
control other countries in
Western Hemisphere.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Failed Invasion
• Information was leaked early- New York Times
• Air strikes failed.
• Castro prepared for a land attack.
• Invaders were captured and ransomed back to
United States for $52 million in food and aid.
• Strengthened Castro’s ties to the Soviet Union
The Berlin Crisis
Disagreement over Berlin led to the
building of the Berlin Wall.
Khrushchev insisted the U.S.
end its military presence in
West Berlin.
Kennedy refused.
Khrushchev ordered the building of the
Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin.
In response to Khrushchev’s actions, Kennedy
requested a large increase in military spending.
He also sent 1,500 more U.S. soldiers to West Berlin.
The Berlin Wall became a symbol of the gulf between
the democratic West
the
andcommunist
the communist
East East
Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962, American
intelligence
agencies
photographed
Soviet
nuclear missile
installations
in Cuba.
The missiles
at these
Cuban sites
threatened
major cities in
the United
States.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
• Kennedy assembled a group of advisors, known as
the ExComm, to help him plan a response.
Managing
the
Crisis
– ExComm military members favored an air strike,
perhaps followed by a land invasion of Cuba.
– Others argued for a naval blockade. Kennedy
agreed with this plan.
• The world watched as Soviet ships carrying missile
parts approached the naval blockade. They turned
back.
Effects
of the
Crisis
• Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missiles if the
United States pledged to never invade Cuba.
• Both Kennedy and Khrushchev took steps to ease
tensions between their countries.
• They set up a hotline to allow direct communication
during times of crisis.
• The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed,
ending atmospheric and underwater testing of
nuclear weapons.
To resolve the Cuban missile crisis, Kennedy worked
In Public
Behind the Scenes
In a television address,
Kennedy blamed Khrushchev
for reckless action that
threatened world peace.
Kennedy told the Soviets that
Kennedy initiated a U.S.
naval blockade of Cuba.
removed their missiles from
the United States would
remove U.S. missiles from
Turkey and Italy if the Soviets
Cuba.
After six tense days, the Soviets backed off.
Nikita Khrushchev agreed to honor the
blockade and removed the missiles.
The crisis prompted the two leaders to establish
a period of détente. They set up a hot line
between Washington, D.C. and Moscow to
improve communication.