Thread: 50 years ago today the Cuban Missile Crisis began.

I do remember that missile crisis - I was working in Sydney at that time and I remember the feeling that events on the other side of world, completely out of our influence and control, were pushing us to the brink....

I have read about the subject since and what I actually remember from the time and what knowledge I have gained after, is, of course , now difficult to distinguish between.....

However Russians had increasingly been painted in the West as ogres (the Petrov affair had received immense publicity here in Oz only eight years earlier) ....and due to right wing and American propaganda many people lost sight of the fact that most Russians (even military men) were really just people like us - with homes, relatives and family - so it stands to reason that they didn't want a nuclear war either...

The management on both sides were continually provoking one another with flyovers by the Yanks and espionage by the Ruskies and bomb tests by both sides ...(you can look up some of the disclosed records of shootdowns of recon aircraft in this period)


If you're interested read about the US blockade of Cuba and the attempts that the US made with practice depth charges to make every Russian sub in the Atlantic surface.

There were certainly cowboys on the US side (the movie Dr Stangelove had that about right) and probably some on the Russian side .



One of the Russian subs being provoked was prepared to retaliate to the US action (it was a Foxtrot - B-59) with a nuclear torpedo - only the fleet commander (in a minority decision} stopped it from happening... it's worth reading about ...

You may be interested to look up Vasili Arkhipov and read about one cold war warrior who really became a hero (but not necessarily in the eyes of his commanders)

edit..(note to SteveG above - I hadn't read your post - I'll try to find the doco..)


Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and the back-down by both sides was followed by the the establishing of a hotline between the two protagonists
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow%E2%80%93Washington_hotline"]Moscow–Washington hotline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]


Interestingly, the pommie response to this - the extension of underground RSGs to help those in power (and their servants) to survive a nuclear exchange was kept going until the late 1980s

Originally Posted by Ausfree

Yep, couldn't agree more, USA has an atrocious record in Latin American countries. But, I get back to my central point, American troops did not invade Cuba.

Here is another example of American "intervention" Which I am sure with your background are fully aware of.

Contras - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes I agree the troops did not invaded, just the CIA Colonels, the mafia and ex Cubans who like to have the casinos and brothels back.
Do you know that there were 200000 armed Cubans waiting for the invaders?
The history and involvement of the CIA in South America should be in recorded in movies, ir is unreal for people that are not aware of it and regard the CIA as an organization to protect democracy and freedom.
Richard Bissell was one of the criminals in this organization who was involved in arrange the assassination of Fidel Castro. In September 1960. He and Allen W. Dulles, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), initiated talks with two leading figures of the Mafia, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana. Later, other crime bosses such as Carlos Marcello, Santos Trafficante and Meyer Lansky became involved in this plot against Castro.
That will give you an idea how USA operates.

About the Contras, yes I am well informed.

The good lady and I visited this "island Paradise", Cuba, in 2009 for a month, what a great country, I hope to go back there in 2015. The real reason I wanted to visit in the first place was that I figured anyone who could give the "mighty" USA the "finger" for the past 50 years had to be a good place to see.
As I understand it much of what has been said here about how things were before the "Revolution" regarding exploitation of the people and country by U.S. interests is correct, even possibly understated, it should not be surprising to anyone that things played out the way they did. Opinions amongst the people over there vary depending mainly I found on age, many young ones hate the regime because of their inability to travel freely across the world and so thought that the old guard should be removed, on the other hand the older folk who could remember what life was like under the U.S. puppet Batista, still gloried in the revolutionaries that led them against the yankee imperialists.
The events leading up to the "Bay of Pigs" were blatant infringements of the sovereignty and freedom of another nation, something (and I may get caned here) that the USA is good at and still doing today in other parts of the world.
They always want freedom and democracy for everybody as long as its to their benefit and on their terms.
Strangely enough one of my yank mates told me that if you were a U.S citizen and took a trip to Cuba i.e. came back with a Cuban entry/exit on your passport it was a $10,000 instant fine. The Cubans counter this with supplying your entry and exit with a stamped bit of paper that they keep when you leave. And to America, so much for "home of the brave, land of the free".

Yes, there were many plots by the CIA to kill Castro, some bordering on hilarious such as exploding cigars. Except I don't think it was funny!!!

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/117438

I have often wondered about this one too!!!

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Grenada"]Invasion of Grenada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Maybe you can shed some light on it, Chucaro. Oh, in this one US troops were used!!

Originally Posted by Ausfree

I have often wondered about this one too!!!

Invasion of Grenada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maybe you can shed some light on it, Chucaro. Oh, in this one US troops were used!!

I remember it, this time was the bastard of Regan that have blood in his hands
Some people remember Regan as a great president even if he was friend of dictators who deposit millions of dollars from drugs dealings in USA.
Australian politician were friends with this criminal and the "iron lady".
Mate they have done so much crime in Latin America during decades that Hitler in comparison was an angel (not that I like that bastard)

Originally Posted by Chucaro

I remember it, this time was the bastard of Regan that have blood in his hands
Some people remember Regan as a great president even if he was friend of dictators who deposit millions of dollars from drugs dealings in USA.
Australian politician were friends with this criminal and the "iron lady".
Mate they have done so much crime in Latin America during decades that Hitler in comparison was an angel (not that I like that bastard)

Yeah, I don't know much about this one ( I know more about the Cuba situation) but if the Yanks invaded, I strongly suspect a motive. They don't use their military forces unless it's to their benefit!! I thought you might know more of the background, other than what the "free" press tells us!!

Originally Posted by Chucaro

I remember it, this time was the bastard of Regan that have blood in his hands
Some people remember Regan as a great president even if he was friend of dictators who deposit millions of dollars from drugs dealings in USA.
Australian politician were friends with this criminal and the "iron lady".
Mate they have done so much crime in Latin America during decades that Hitler in comparison was an angel (not that I like that bastard)

Don't get me going on that one, perhaps the subject of another Thread. My wife's family are Polish and went through the Nazi atrocities in Poland, I have heard some stories that would make you cringe, Hitler was a true bastard. Anyrate, I don't want to hijack this Thread as it is about Cuba!!