how close did we come to ww3 during the cuban missile crisis?

Question

was it as close a call as it's made out to be in retrospect? do you think if anything had happened differently, it would've happened?

Answer 1

It was closer than you think, besides being on Defcon 3, the US was depth charging Soviet nuclear submarines.

An officer named Vasili Arkhipov saved the world.

After Soviet nuclear missile bases were discovered in Cuba, a two-week standoff took place, as President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade, prepared to attack, and demanded that Khrushchev remove the missiles. Everyone realized at the time that the world hovered on the brink of war - but no one knew until recently just how close we had come to it.

On October 27, a U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba, and another U-2 strayed over Siberia, with US Air Force jets (armed with air-to-air nuclear missiles) scrambling to meet a possible Soviet interception. The Cubans were firing on all low-level US reconnaissance flights.

And, worst yet, US destroyers were dropping signaling depth charges on a Soviet submarine near the quarantine line, intending to force it to surface. Unbeknownst to the US Navy, it was carrying a nuclear-tipped torpedo. The captain lost his temper.

The sub's commander, Valentin Savitsky, who could not communicate with the Soviet general staff, thought a nuclear war may have started up above. He ordered an officer to assemble the nuclear-tipped torpedo and prepare it to be fired.
But Second Captain Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov told Savitsky that the conditions for firing the torpedo, a rupture of the hull, had not occurred. Savitsky reversed his order and the submarine surfaced.

On the next day, the missile crisis was resolved. President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev reached an agreement. The Soviets would withdraw their weapons from Cuba and the US would publicly pledge not to invade that island. Also, President Kennedy secretly promised to remove US missiles from Turkey.

Answer 2

I lived during that time. It was all bluff and posturing. A high ranking Soviet missile General had defected and told us that the Russians, could not and would not attack because they had no real capability. Kennedy and Dean Rusk then made a deal with Nikita Kruschev that if he pulled back we would not interfere with the Communists adventures in Central America. But Kennedy had nothing going for him and persuaded Kruschev to make it look like he had bluffed him down. Kruschev agreed because he would then have free reign in Central America and Mexico. The problem was, the Politburo did not see it that was and he was forced out of office and Kennedy met his fate too.

We came much closer in 1973. I was in the military at the time and saw the preparations.

Answer 3

Oh, we were hours from a nuclear strike. Nikita played his bluff almost to the ruin of the world. And it didn't play well with the Politburo back in Moscow.

On the plus side for the Soviets, they did succeed in having the US remove tactical nukes from Turkey, which of course was as objectionable to the Soviets as their missiles being in Cuba was to us.

There's always two sides to the story.

Answer 4

Get out of the field.... there is not any rule that international conflict III must be nuclear. the only reason a rustic will launch nukes is that if the rustic itself is in possibility. you have a international conflict the place Russia, China or the rustic isn't rapidly under risk of invasion. as an occasion: a million) you have worldwide places scuffling with over aspects in Africa the place most of the conflict occurs in Africa yet comprises most of the international. 2) you have a challenge the place the 0.33 international is going to conflict between itself and 3/4ths of the international might desire to be at conflict devoid of China, the rustic or Russia in touch. it would desire to be over issues like water aspects and tribal obstacles. it would possibly no longer additionally be prepared, yet as economies sink, the rustic, China and Russia won't become in touch and dozens of interior of reach conflicts take place concurrently. yet that would desire to be seen using fact the 0.33 international conflict as unfavorable to international conflict 3 (play on words).

Answer 5

I lived through it all, and the Americans and Russians brought the rest of us in Europe to within FOUR minutes of the point of nuclear Holocaust. If the Russians had had the sense to disguise their missiles and the Americans had given President Kennedy better advice,( Don't forget these people who advised him allowed him to stand up in Berlin and call himself a doughnut in German, "Ich bin ein Berliner".) then we would probably never have known about it.

Answer 6

about 50% with russians on the side of cuba and transporting weapons over to cuba so if a war broke ou the cubans will the ready and americans had allies from earlier wars so they wouldn't sit and watch the communist countries whup america's ***

Answer 7

I think not very close at all. There was a lot of brinkmanship, but the potential downside was so huge that I doubt it would have happened.

Answer 8

It was extremely close. I lived through it. efw, where is your citation? Don't say it's a true story and not post your reliable source. Without a source, it's just an INTERESTING story rather than a TRUE story.

Answer 9

It was close, they had the launcher pointed at the USA and their hands on the button

Answer 10

They had their hands on the buttons, for real, that says enough.