Cold War Ep.10/24 - (1959-1962) Cuba

Summary

The documentary traces the worsening U.S.–Cuban relationship from Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Revolution and U.S. Retaliation

Castro’s overthrow of Fulgencio Batista initially brought popular support and promises of social reform. His government nationalized land and American-owned businesses. After U.S. companies refused to refine Soviet oil, Cuba took over foreign refineries.

The United States responded by cutting Cuba’s access to the sugar market, imposing a trade embargo, and backing covert efforts against Castro, including sabotage and support for Cuban exiles.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The CIA persuaded the new Kennedy administration that Cuban exiles could topple Castro. Kennedy approved the invasion but limited U.S. air support to conceal American involvement. The 1961 landing at the Bay of Pigs was quickly defeated, strengthening Castro’s position and driving Cuba closer to the Soviet Union. U.S. plans to remove Castro continued.

Soviet Missiles in Cuba

Fearing an American attack, Castro sought Soviet military help. Nikita Khrushchev agreed to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba, partly to offset the United States’ strategic advantage and its missiles in Turkey. The deployment was concealed from the United States; reconnaissance photographs revealed the missile sites in October 1962.

The Crisis

President Kennedy rejected immediate air strikes and an invasion, choosing a naval “quarantine” to stop further offensive weapons from reaching Cuba while U.S. forces prepared for possible escalation. As both sides raised their readiness, the world came close to nuclear war.

Soviet ships approached the quarantine line, a U.S. U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba, and an invasion remained under consideration. The documentary emphasizes that Soviet tactical nuclear weapons on the island made an invasion especially dangerous.

Resolution

Kennedy and Khrushchev reached an agreement: the Soviet Union would dismantle and withdraw its missiles, while the United States publicly pledged not to invade Cuba. Kennedy also privately assured the Soviets that U.S. missiles in Turkey would be removed, though not as an announced, direct exchange. Soviet ships carried the missiles home.

The film presents the outcome as an avoidance of catastrophe rather than a straightforward victory for either leader.

Presenters and Contributors

The supplied subtitles do not identify the narrator or interview contributors by name.