Why did the USA become involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Answer 1

Because the USA can't mind it's own business.

We can put our nukes and miltary anywhere we want, but I guess other nations can't.

Answer 2

In August 1962, the USSR began installing missiles with nuclear warheads in Cuba, 120 miles from the US shore. These missiles would have given the Soviet the ability to quickly destroy most of the US East coast. By October, the US had definitive proof from pictures taken by its high-flying spy planes. Kennedy ordered a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent further shipment of missile parts, invoking the Monroe Doctrine.

He negotiated with Khrushchev, and threatened to invade Cuba to destroy the missiles before they were complete and to depose Castro. Khrushchev became convinced that Kennedy meant business (he had thought the US president would back off because of Kennedy's bungled attempt the year before take down Castro known as the earlier Bay of Pigs invasion).

The result of their bilateral negotiations -- Kennedy promised never to invade Cuba, and the USSR removed nuclear missiles from Turkey.

This was the closest the US has ever come to nuclear war.

Answer 3

The missiles were ostensibly placed to protect Cuba from further planned attacks from the United States after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, and were rationalized by the Soviets as equivalent to the U.S. placing deployable nuclear warheads in the United Kingdom, Italy, and, ultimately most significantly, Turkey.

Answer 4

The proximity of Cuba to Florida cuts the required time for an effective counterresponse, in case such a missile is launched from Cuba.

Answer 5

Because Cuba is 90 miles from the USA and they had nuclear missles pointed directly at us. At that distance they could have hit any city in the US.

Answer 6

The Russians decided to put missles in Cuba, about 100 miles from the US. This in response to similar missles we had already installed in Turkey. (Pretty close to the Ruskies.) We became alarmed by the missles in such close proximity and demanded that they be removed. HEAVY negotiations insued. In the end the Russians removed their missles, we quietly removed ours from Turkey, and both sides went to work building submarines that could fire missles from locations even closer to enemy shores than 100 miles.

Answer 7

the russians were building missile sites in plain view of the U.S. They had no choice but to get involved,

Answer 8

ERRRRRRRR

Because the missiles were going to be aimed at them, and controlled by Russia

Hardly rocket science is it.

Answer 9

we wern't comfortable with russia putting in a nuclear missle sight within a 100 miles of us. soil!

Answer 10

Secret Documents now available to view:

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/docs.htm