Excomm31




 * EXCOMM 3-1** - Members: Ryan Murphy, Will Stearns.

__**DAYS 1-3 Tuesday, October 16 to Thursday, October 18**__
John F. Kennedy, the President of the U.S., has been presented with photographic evidence of Soviet missile launchers located on the island of Cuba, 90 miles from The United States. The launchers can be fitted with nuclear warheads for offensive strikes on U.S. sites as far away as Montana. You are members of EXCOMM, the group that will advise JFK throughout the ordeal. You discuss many possible responses to the Societ presence in Cuba - an air strike, an invasion of mainland Cuba, a naval blockade, a diplomatic protest, and other ideas. You all realize that the decision that you make will be extremely crucial for the peace safety of your country and the world in general. After discussing all of the possible options, what do you advise President Kennedy to do, and why?
 * **OUR DECISION AND REASON** || **ACTUAL DECISION** ||
 * If it is evident that there is a potentional missile threat in Cuba, we should make a deal with the USSR to withdraw our missiles in Turkey if they remove theirs in Cuba. This would avoid another World War even if it hurts Kennedy's image (not as paramount as golbal conflict). || They used a naval blockade, which they called a quarantine. ||

[|Want to see the actual photographs?] / [|Want to see a map of the missile range?]

__**DAY 4 Friday, October 19**__
The Washington Press Corps has caught on to the important meetings taking place at the White House and are pushing for more information. How do you suggest the President should respond to all of the inquiries about what's going on?
 * **OUR DECISION AND REASON** || **ACTUAL DECISION** ||
 * We should simply say to the press that we are making decisions of paramount importance in the field of maintaining the status quo with the Soviet Union. Moreover, we are attempting to find a way to not let the Nuclear Arms Race excell to a point where physical conflict breaks out. || They sent Kennedy to the west to give the appearance that business was being overseen, and then he came back to DC on account of a "cold." ||

__**DAY 5-6 Saturday, October 20-Sunday, October 21**__
The US military has been placed on full alert, and American allies have been notified that there is some serious trouble brewing with the Soviets. Congress, which is on recess, has been alerted and party leaders are aware of the situation. Nearly 200,000 American troops are moved to Key West, Florida - the largest invasion force ever assembled on American soil.

__**DAY 7 Monday, October 22**__
The President has signed an executive order enforcing the blockade, but the the American public has still not been informed of the mounting situation with the Soviets and Cubans. Do you suggest that JFK address the public? If so, how much information should be released to the American people?

[|Want to see a clip of the speech?]
 * **OUR DECISION AND REASON** || **ACTUAL DECISION** ||
 * Kennedy should tell the people openly that the United States has been planning on the act of placing a quarantine on Cuba so that the missiles are less likely to be used. || Kennedy tells the public that there is a quarantine being placed on Cuba and that if a missile from there is fired at the western hemisphere that the US will declare war on the USSR. ||

__**DAYS 8-9 Tuesday, October 23 - Wednesday, October 24**__
The US quarantine is put into effect, and Cuba bulks up its military along the coasts in preparation for a possible invasion. Cuba calls the U.S. a bully in the United Nations, and Moscow accuses the U.S. of piracy. There is information that the Soviet ships in the Caribbean are being shadowed by Soviet submarines. A Soviet ship approaches the quarantine line and attempts to break through the quarantine. What course of action to you suggest in dealing with the ship? You also have evidence that the Soviets are installing actual weapons in the Cuban missile sites that will be able to fire on the U.S. in a matter of days. Your decision is now a matter of peace or war. What is your suggested course for the President - fire weapons on the existing missile sites, set an ultimatum for removal of the missiles, destroy Soviet ships in the Caribbean, send troops to Cuba, move nuclear subs toward the USSR, or attempt any further means of peaceful diplomacy?
 * **OUR DECISION AND REASON** || **ACTUAL DECISION** ||
 * Sink (shoot at) the ship in order to show the Soviet Union that the US is serious about the quarantine. || They let the ship go through, but all the other Soviet ships stopped and turned around. ||
 * **OUR DECISION AND REASON** || **ACTUAL DECISION** ||
 * We need to negotiate peace with Russia by saying that if they put down their nuclear arms and return home if the USSR does the same. This will keep the world from undergoing a very destructive nuclear war, and end the high tension. || Had plans to have a thousand flights to bomb Cuba followed by a land invasion (Kenndy's ultimatum). There was a deal to get rid of the Cuban Missile Crisis by withdrawal. Nuclear War (eyeball to eyeball sets Nuclear limits). ||

__**DAYS 10-12 Thursday, October 25 - Saturday, October 27**__
Proceedings are becoming heated at the United Nations. The U.S. openly challenges USSR at the United Nations, without getting a desired response. Tensions remain high between the two countries. The United States military forces are set at DEFCON-2 - the highest in history. [|Want to see clips of the UN discussion?] Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet premier, has made two offers to Presdient Kennedy. The first is to remove the missiles from Cuba in exchange for no American invasion of Cuba, and the second demands U.S. removal of missiles from Turkey in return for the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba. In the meantime, an American U-2 spy plane has been shot down over Cuba. What do you suggest the President should do in this situation - accept either of the offers, make a counter offer, or demand immediate removal or else troops and weapons will be deployed?
 * **OUR DECISION AND REASON** || **ACTUAL DECISION** ||
 * xxxxx || xxxxx ||

**__DAY 13 Sunday, October 28__**
What is the result of the Cuban Missile Crisis? What impact does the crisis have on the Cold War and the relationship between the US and the USSR?

xxxx