Context and Essential QuestionThe question of war loomed as the Soviet ships approached Cuban waters, but the order was given for the ships to be returned to the Soviet Union and war was avoided. This event though greatly impacted Kennedy and Khrushchev as both leaders realized how close war was and the necessity for greater communication in the future. In his telegram to the Chairman immediately after receiving word that the crisis had been averted, Kennedy invited an opening of the lines of communication and reintroduced the necessity for nuclear arms treaties to avoid similar situations in the future.
Essential Question: Can the ultimate peaceful end of the Cuban Missile Crisis be considered the beginning of the policy of détente? Source:
Kennedy, John. "Cuban Missile Crisis - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum." Cuban Missile Crisis - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. The JFK Library. Web. 11 Aug. 2015. <http://microsites.jfklibrary.org/cmc/oct28>. |
Telegram to Chairman Khrushchev |