Excomm84




 * EXCOMM 8-4** - Members: Meredith M., Nicole R., Taylor H., and Amanda Sz.

__**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** ||
 * We choose to do a naval blockade because the other option might cause world war. We want to keep fighting to a minimum and a naval blockade would be successful in stopping a mass amount of missiles from getting to Cuba. It might also prevent essential resources from getting to Cuba - hurting its economy. || a naval blockade (also calledquarantine - stop ships if they have missiles and send them back, anything else, ship can go through; didn't want to say blockade because that is an act of war) ||

[|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 would tell them that it's confidential and necessary for the United States. We could also say that nothing has been completely decided so we don't to misinform the public. || They **lied** and sent Kennedy to the Midwest for public appearances to try and make things seem normal. To get him back to Washington, they said that he wasn't feeling well. ||

__**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** ||
 * There is a foreign issue that we need to investigate, and the naval blockade is just for our own protection. || They told the public about the issue with Cuba and the possible threat of missiles. They said everything about the present situation, and then Kennedy said that if any missile from Cuba hit anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, they would regard that as a military act by the Soviet Union. ||

__**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 it without completely destroying it, and then saying it was an accident to aviod any conflict. || They let it pass through, and then all the next 21 ships turned around at sea and went back to the Soviet Ships. "Eyeball to eyeball, and the Soviets blinked." ||
 * **OUR DECISION AND REASON** || **ACTUAL DECISION** ||
 * Say "do this or else" and the "or else" is that we would attack Cuba with bombs and other military weapons. The "do this" would be to set up an attack on the United States. If they try to attack us, we'll attack them first. || Kennedy issued an ultimatum - said that if the missiles aren't gone by Sunday, they would invade Cuba. The US was ready - 1,000 planes ready to strike, then a land invasion. ||

__**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** ||
 * NO TIME || Kennedy accepted the first letter and said fine we'll do that, but sends someone to talk to a Soviet minister about the missiles in Turkey. ||

**__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?

xxxxx