Hello, Jakob again I figured it might be fun to debate some alternate history, so here it goes. During this thread I will be asking “What would happen if the United States ended up invading the Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis?” So to start off, I’ll be making a condensed version of the timeline of the Cuban Missile crisis January 1959: Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. Importance: America backed the oppressive dictator known as Fulgencio Batista Zaldívar due to America having business interests with Cuba. Once Fidel Castro took power, he nationalised American companies without compensation. In order to respond to this, America stopped all foreign aid and also stopped all Cuban sugar imports. Sugar imports to the US were a huge part of the Cuban economy, so this was a huge blow to Castro. Sometime in 1960: Castro looks to the USSR for help Importance: Due to the Castro losing a main source of income, he looked to the USSR for help. The USSR ended up signing a trade agreement to buy one million tons of sugar a year from Cuba. After this event, Castro became communist. This made Cuba one of the only communist nations in the Western Hemisphere. April, 1961: The United States funds and trains Cuban exiles to invade Cuba Importance: America was alarmed about Cuba becoming a communist nation. The CIA trained, armed and transported 1,300 Cuban exiles to invade Cuba. The invasion was a complete and utter failure. The Cuban exiles were slaughtered, and President Kennedy was humiliated. September, 1961: Castro asks the USSR for aid to defend against America Importance: The USSR publicly promised to provide Cuba with weapons to help defend against the Americans. They placed seven nuclear missiles in Cuba with over 42,000 Russian personnel. October, 1962: An American U2 Spy Plane flies over Cuba and discovers weapons Importance: With these missiles, they brought almost every American town in danger of a nuclear attack. After they confirmed, President Kennedy went on national television and told the American’s they were under threat. The Cuban Missile Crisis had begun. Here is a map of where the missiles were: Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesi ... rev1.shtml http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fidel-castro http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/ ... on-america So, let’s say two months after finding this information out, America decides to mount a full scale invasion of Cuba. Keep in mind, Russia had 42,000 personnel in Cuba when the crisis started. So forums, what would happen?
In reality what happened was the USA had threatened nuclear war unless the USSR withdrew its weapons. I think they made a deal for USA to withdraw some weapons which were in Europe. Very close to an actual war. If we say that America invaded Cuba and went straight to combat against the 40k Soviet troops, then there would be a very tense situation. It could either boil down to an expansion of the war, or by one side backing down. I think it would go straight to toral war. Cuba was a Soviet ally. They wouldn't just back down. In my opinion it would be more likely that if it didnt escalate into total or nuclear war, for the USSR to back down as their nuclear arsenal and military was significantly smaller than America's. Also because since America was the one who threatened the war with these troops, it would be more politically damaging for America to back down after making such a threat.
In this alternate history, JFK would not have been fooling around with Marilyn Monroe during the time of Cuban Missile Crisis.. Calling the Russian bluff and invaded Cuba like Margaret Thatcher did on Falklands (or Teddy Roosevelt did on Cuba with his Rough Riders).. The Americans would have crushed the Castro's and Che's troops and install Frank Sinatra as the Governor of Cuba (and let Dean Martin's Mob ties to run a few casinos).. This would also have prevented the Mob from taking a hit on JFK and he would have continued a real American spirit of "We choose to go to the moon, because it's there!!" And prevented a whole future generations of American kids from staying at their parents house till they are in their 40's, watching social media videos as "exploration" and play tap tap games..
I was entirely America's fault. Russia wouldn't have needed to back Cuba, I America didn't bully Cuba.
If the USA had mounted a fullscale invasion, I guess there would be no need for the Moscow Line. So.. that would be an upside... Save costs, all that... #energyefficient