HISTORIC CRISIS COMMITTEE
Cuban Missile Crisis
SEPTEMBER 15, 1962.
Letter from the Executive Board:
It gives us immense pleasure to serve on the Executive Board of the Historic Crisis Committee
[HCC] at HEARTS MUN 2025.
This background guide serves as your foundational resource for understanding the complex
agenda we will address together. While comprehensive in scope, it represents merely the starting
point of your preparation journey. The depth and quality of committee discussions will depend
on your individual research efforts and the extensive knowledge you bring to the table. We
encourage you to explore beyond these pages and delve deeper into the nuances of disarmament,
politics and international security.
This committee shall work with directives and shall commence on the historic date of September
1962, all the procedures and format shall be explained in committee. No internet will be
allowed in committee.
Your success as a delegate extends far beyond this guide. We expect thorough research into the
agenda, your nation's foreign policy positions, relevant domestic and international legislation,
and current developments in chemical and biological weapons disarmament. Take initiative in
your preparation and approach the committee with curiosity and analytical rigor.
We look forward to witnessing engaged, well-prepared delegates who will contribute
meaningfully to our discussions with enthusiasm, respect, and diplomatic excellence throughout
our time together.
Regards,
Rupa Gayatri.
Karthik Sriram.
The Executive Board.
FREEZE DATE: SEPTEMBER 15, 1962.
The World in 1962
1962 was a year of high global tension and rapid change. The Cold War dominated international
relations, with the United States and the Soviet Union competing in nuclear arms, space
exploration, and political influence. Decolonization was reshaping Africa and Asia, as new
nations like Algeria emerged while others navigated post-independence instability. In Asia,
border disputes between China and India edged toward war, and the conflict in Vietnam
deepened as North and South Vietnam drew greater involvement from global powers. Europe
remained divided by the Berlin Wall, while Latin America and Africa saw ideological struggles,
coups, and reform movements. At the same time, cultural and technological milestones—such as
the space race and global sporting events—reflected both the promise of progress and the
ever-present risk of confrontation.
POLICY OF CONTAINMENT
The United States of America adopted a policy of containment to quell the spread of communist
ideologies across the globe. The USA primarily viewed the spread of communism as a threat
to their capitalist form of economic growth and superiority along with the massive divide in
terms of ideology of governance. As a result of this, the US came up with multiple plans to
counter the spread of communism and plant the seeds of liberation and democracy. The goal
was to help conflict nations and thereby gain their trust and goodwill and coerce the spread of
their own ideology. We will cover some major policies that were implemented in this section.
THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE
The Truman Doctrine was the foundation of the United States policy on communism and
quelling its spread, across the globe. It set the precedent for the strong American stance to
assist anti- communist governments or regimes, regardless of how controversial they were.
It shifted American policy of detente to tackling communist propaganda head on by providing
financial and military aid to countries that were battling an internal spread of communism. The
cases in point were the Greek civil war and the crisis with respect to the Turkish states where the
United States stepped in directly to aid the respective governments and halt the spread of
communist Influence.
THE MARSHALL PLAN
The Marshall plan also known as the European Recovery Program was essentially an
extension of the Truman Doctrine to counter the spread of communism. The Marshall plan
was directed towards the European nations to rebuild Europe post the devastation of the WW2
and rebuild industries to restore Europe to the state of prosperity it once was in. The plan had a
vision for the future with focus on industrial outlook and removal of unnecessary trade barriers
that hampered economic progress. Successful American business models and practices were
incorporated into this and America continuously spent a large chunk of its GDP in this effort.
CREATION OF NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was created as a military alliance to directly
prevent any communist aggression against the nations that were inclined ideologically
towards the USA. Article 5 of the NATO founding treaty enshrined the principle of collective
defence and an act of aggression against one member nation could be considered an act of
aggression against all members of NATO. This deterred any direct Soviet aggression against the
west.This is one of the main reasons for the drastic increase in proxy wars during the period of
the Cold War. The treaty for the establishment of the NATO was signed in April 1949 in the Oval
office by Harry S. Truman and the other invitees. The same year in August, the Soviet Union
detonated its first atomic bomb.
SOVIET RESPONSE TO THE POLICY OF CONTAINMENT
The Soviet Union did not take the actions of the western bloc to clamp down on the spread of
communism lightly. They reacted with the instigation of their own policies to mirror those of
the West.
THE MOLOTOV PLAN
Essentially the Soviet Union’s version of the Marshall Plan to focus on rebuilding the satellite
states and the states ideologically aligned with the Soviet Union, post war. However, the key
difference between the two plans was that the Soviet Union made the political ramifications of
being a beneficiary is very clear. Unlike the Marshall Plan which was open to any and all
countries (USA even offered to help the USSR rebuild), the Molotov plan was strongly buried
in its communist ideologies. The Molotov would result in the creation of the CoMEcon.
THE WARSAW PACT
Formally called the Treaty of Friendship, assistance and mutual cooperation, the WarPac or
The Warsaw Pact signed in 1955, was viewed as the counterbalance to the West-backed
NATO. A greater need to control the regions of Eastern and Central Europe, fuelled by the
integration of West Germany into NATO, led to the creation of this pact. However, before the
Warsaw Pact came into existence, the western bloc was engaged in proxy wars against the Soviet
Union and its communist Ideologies.
THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR OF 1949
The Long drawn Chinese civil war finally drew to a close in 1949 with the ouster of the Western
backed Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang Nationalist Government (KMT).The government
was expelled off the mainland into what is known as Taiwan in the present day.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) headed by Mao Zedong controlled the entirety of the
mainland China and declared themselves as the official China. The victory of the Soviet backed
PLA signalled new policies and a more aggressive approach towards containment in Asia by
the USA. It resulted in various agreements including the SEATO(Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization) and ANZUS(Australia, New Zealand, and United States).
THE KOREAN WAR
American will to tackle communist expansion was tested in the Korean War, with the United
States of America being directly pulled into the conflict. Towards the end of WW2, the Soviet
Union had invaded Korea, which was under Japanese occupation and captured regions up to
the 38th parallel. The United States captured the remainder of Korea to expel the Japanese. Both
portions of Korea, as a result of the growing Cold War, came up with their own governments and
each claimed to be the legitimate authority over the Korean soil and did not accept the
boundaries drawn.
In June 1950, Kim Il-Sung’s Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South
Korea with the blessings of both: The Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China. This
aspect of the war taught the Western bloc a very important lesson: The power of coordinated
attacks and defences. The United Nations Security Council authorised military action against
the Kim Il-Sung Government. The resolution 83 in the Security Council was passed due to the
Soviet vote being treated as an abstention. The USSR was boycotting the UNSC simply
because the Republic of China held the permanent seat in the SC and it wasn’t handed over to
the People’s Republic of China, which was the true China in their opinion.
It authorised a response against the aggression meted to the Republic of Korea and called for the
establishment and deployment of the UN Force in Korea. The war ended in a stalemate along the
38th parallel. The UN mandated forces were able to overcome the Korean People’s Army but
were unable to defeat the Chinese forces that entered the war after the UN offensives pushed the
North Korean forces back. The armistice was approved by the USSR only after Stalin’s death in
1953.
THE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION
The Hungarian revolution of 1956 was the breakout of mass protests and uprisings against the
Hungarian People’s Republic and their Soviet backed policies. Mass uprisings in Budapest
were fired upon by the Hungarian State Security Police which led to the start of the violent
uprisings. Several thousand civilians organised themselves into impromptu militias to battle
government forces.
Protests spread across the country, which led to the collapse of the government mechanism and
the municipal control being wrested away from the ruling Hungarian working People’s party.
Former political prisoners were released and rearmed to fight the Government and pro-soviet
forces. A new government was formed. Pro-Soviet communists and AVH members were
brutally executed. The new government disbanded the AVH, declared its intention of
withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact and called for fresh elections and established peace
throughout the country.
As the sense of normalcy returned to the country, the Politburo authorized the deployment of
a large Soviet force to crush the revolution. The revolution was completely decimated in about
a week and the new Soviet installed government repressed all forms of public opinion. The
revolution served as an outlet for Soviet show of dominance in Eastern Europe but resulted in
several western communist supporters and Marxist proponents denouncing their actions.
THE CUBAN SITUATION
DEVELOPMENT OF ICBMs
Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles were first visualised by Nazi Germany towards the closing
stages of WW2. Wernher von Braun was the head of the team that attempted to build long
range missiles that would target American cities from European soil. After the war, he relocated
to the United States and continued his research and development work (see Operation
Paperclip)) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/operation-paperclip )
The Soviet Union in its quest to show its military might and establish its dominance as the
ultimate superpower, launched the first ever Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in
1957. The R7 flew over 6000km and heralded the dawn of the new category of missile systems.
The success of the R7 was due to the steady flow of funding that it received. This lead to the
United States of America massively shifting its focus to launching their own ICBMs and play
catch-up as they did not want to be perceived as an inferior power. The Soviets used the same
R7 launch vehicle to launch the first ever satellite, Sputnik and then later Vostok, which made
Yuri Gagarin, the first ever person in space.
THE CUBAN REVOLUTION
Fulgencio Batista was elected in 1940 and ruled the country until 1944, as an elected president.
But in 1952 he captured power by means of a military coup and nullified the 1952 elections
entirely. He ran an authoritative regime where the abuse of power kept rising up to the level of
dictatorship. He was overthrown in the Cuban Revolution of 1959. The first incident that is
considered to have started the revolution against Batista’s dictatorship occurred on 26 July
1953 where around 100 guerrillas attacked the Moncada Barracks under Fidel Castro’s
leadership. Many insurgents were killed while others including Fidel and Raul Castro were put
on trial. Fidel Castro was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. In two years though, facing
under excessive political pressure, the government released all political felons including the
Castros.
Upon his release, Fidel Castro met Ernesto Che Guevara who decided to join his cause and
help overthrow the Batista government. The revolution featured many armed clashes and
encounters and lasted for about 5 years. The general public too was pro-Castro because of the
economic policies of Batista and the omnipresent corruption in his government. He had links
with organised crime and allowed American companies to run his economy.
The rebels made effective use of propaganda and managed to successfully spread messages
deep in enemy territory, using the “Rebel Radio”. This ensured that the general public
completely supported the revolution against Batista. The revolution ended with the toppling of
the authoritarian regime and Fidel Castro became the Premier of Cuba shortly after.
THE BAY OF PIGS INVASION
The period between 1960-1961 was one of the crests of the Cold War. United States tried
making “inroads” into Latin America and hence the Soviet Union attempted to do the same in
Africa. Fidel Castro led a revolution which shifted Cuban politics to the left indisputably and
kicked out American influence in the region. The Cuban revolution, on the social level, was
limited to anti-American actors. Furthermore Castro’s economic reforms worked on the lines
of nationalizing American oil refineries, communication companies and private companies
across various sectors. In this regard, the US had retaliated to Cuban decisions via economic
embargoes which were signed by the Eisenhower administration. Following the inevitable
decline in Cuba-US relations, the President approved the CIA's plan to organize– in terms of
train, arm and support – an anti-Castro, exile-led invasion of Cuba.
Following the increase of a Cuban threat, CIA offered a plan to President Eisenhower,
documents built upon:
“a. The first requirement is the creation of a responsible, appealing and unified Cuban
opposition outside of Cuba [to] serve as a magnet for the loyalties of the Cubans
b. So that the opposition may be heard and Castro's basis of popular support undermined, it is
necessary to develop a long and short wave gray broadcasting facility
c. Work is already in progress in the creation of a covert intelligence and action organization
within Cuba
d. Preparations have already been made for the development of an adequate paramilitary force
outside of Cuba.”
This plan had been built upon the fundamentals of guerrilla and psychological warfare, to be
combined with economic measures. According to minutes of the President’s meeting with the
CIA on 17th March 1960, Eisenhower’s last remarks were “I know of no better plan to deal
with the situation. The great problem is leakage and breach of security. Everyone must be
prepared to swear that he has not heard of it.” Thus, the exiles of the Cuban Revolution were
supplied but not at a quick pace. On August 8, 1960, Eisenhower held a meeting in his office
to review the CIA progress report on Cuba including the actions taken under the decision taken
on 17th of March. Following the review of these reports, President Eisenhower approved the
14 million USD budget for an operation in Cuba. Co-Director of the National Reconnaissance
Office, Richard Bissell structured the operation with these remarks:
“The real reason for the shift from infiltration to amphibious invasion is that by October we
had made a major effort at infiltration and resupply, and those efforts have been unsuccessful.
My conviction was that we simply would not be able to organize a secure movement in Cuba.
We had made, I think, at least five infiltrations by small boats and in each case the people
hadbeen picked up in a day or two. We had also made several air drops of supplies, but in most
cases there was always a delay of several days between the request for resupply and the actual
drop, and several times during that gap of time the people who originally made the request had
moved. We had no direct radio communication with the small rebel groups. We may have made
one or two infiltrations of men by air, but the majority entered by sea. Therefore we simply had
to give up the effort to build a safe underground with communications and command and
Control.”
Following the election, the details of the plan were also approved by Kennedy. However,
Kennedy had stated that he wanted to be more patient with the matter at hand. He permitted
the CIA to carry out the operations which had been instituted under the previous government
and to study the possibility of deployment of pro-American Cuban forces on Cuban soil; to
submit a proposal for actual action keeping in mind the integration to other Latin American
countries for the isolation of Castro’s government.
By January 28th 1961, Kennedy had the operational outline of the first invasion plan. The
operation code named Operation Pluto which was built upon the prospect of landing 1,000
men to Trinidad, Cuba. Hence as a leg of the plan, he approved Operation Zapata, commonly
known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, on the 4 of April 1961. The plan consisted of US
involvement via planes which provided them the option of plausible deniability in terms of its
involvement. Also to conduct these actions, anti-Castro supporters started to regroup and were
trained in the surrounding islands of Miami, Florida. There were also anti-Castro specialist
training camps created in Panama and Guatemala. However, Cuba in light of the increased
tension, gathered T-34, IS-32 Tanks and various arms from the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics. Cuban Government’s security apparatus had gathered info via their intelligence
network on a possible, US-led guerrilla attack. The Committee for State Security or, originally,
Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) too, got wind of the operation and informed
Cuba regarding the possibility of an attack. On April 13th of 1961, Radio Moscow had
broadcasted a report that stated that a US-led paramilitary attack had been planned against the
Post-Revolutionary Cuba
MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION AND MISSILE
SYSTEMS
Perhaps the most important aspect of the 1962 status quo is what was and is called the MAD
doctrine. The Mutual Assured Destruction is a doctrine and status of weapon usage policies
that arises from the following conditions:
1. Existence of two or more opposing (or distrusting) powers with attritional international
relations;
2. Existence of military agenda and international coercion in both powers;
3. Presence of numerous strong weapons of mass destruction and relative equilibrium of
defence and counterattack systems in both powers, so that any attack from A to B would be
largely successful, but the second strike (the retaliation) would be inevitable.In short, the MAD
doctrine assumes both sides are strong enough to destroy the opponent
and this opponent would not fail to retaliate with equal or greater force.
Based on the theory of deterrence or intimidation, this status keeps both powers constantly
intimidated by the impossibility of an attack without a devastating retaliation. In the context of
the 1960s Cold War, the triad necessary for implementing MAD had already been developed:
nuclear- capable bomber aircraft, land-based long range missiles and submarine launched
Missiles.
The importance of MAD is such that some of the most prominent international weapons law
initiatives were against missile defence systems (ABMs, anti-ballistic missiles capable of
taking down ballistic missiles). This happens exactly because the equilibrium of MAD lies on
the vulnerability and strength in both sides; therefore a far too capable defence system means
one could become virtually invulnerable to a first strike, while maintaining leverage on the
possibility of launching the first strike itself, since it would become capable of defending
against a second strike. This possibility transforms missile defence systems into offensive
weapons, as they destroy the intimidation potential. US development of the Nike Zeus
interception anti-missile missiles was cancelled in 1963 due to the simpler alternative of merely
building more regular missiles, reinforcing the MAD doctrine.
MAD was also threatened by other systems, such as advanced precise land-based MIRVed
missiles, but those were not yet available in 1962. The concept and usage of MAD can and
should be related with “peace through strength” and Cold War power politics.
STRIKE NOMENCLATURE
Several strikes can be attempted in a succession in nuclear warfare; these categories can help
one be clearer about possibilities.
1. First-strike (pre-emptive nuclear strike):
A first-strike or pre-emptive nuclear strike is an overwhelming attack that aims to, in one or
more ways, weaken and diminish the capability of retaliation of the enemy, to create an
Environment where the attacker becomes capable of surviving the weakened (yet inevitable)
retaliation, as the retaliator, after suffering the initial attack, becomes incapable of any further
significant war action after the retaliation.
2. Second-strike (retaliatory strike):
The retaliatory strike is what inevitably follows a pre-emptive strike. Mechanisms for
retaliation are amongst the most advanced and sophisticated in the 20th century arsenal, since
there was no true interest in being the first-attacker, but deep concerns regarding the deterrence
capabilities and the retaliatory intimidation. The real Dead Hand or Perimeter soviet retaliation
system is a good example; should a series of seismic, radioactivity, light and overpressure
sensors detect Russia had suffered a nuclear strike, the Dead Hand system would automatically
launch and target the Russian missiles. No living humans would be necessary to trigger the
massive retaliation.
3. Decapitation strike:
The objective of a decapitation strike is to disable the command and control structures and
capabilities of an enemy, thus destroying its ability to command the usage of weapons, instead
of destroying the weapons themselves. Although it might seem an intelligent approach to
diminish collateral damage, both the US and the USSR implemented measures to avoid
confusion in the hierarchy in case of a decapitation strike. This means if the upper part of the
hierarchy had become unavailable or destroyed, for example, individual commander could
acquire authority to retaliate on their own. This diminishes the effectiveness of the strike.4.
4.Counterforce strike:
Arguably the most guaranteed manner of diminishing the second-strike capability of an
opponent, a counterforce strike aims to directly destroy the weapons of the opponent, directing,
for example, two warheads to each known missile silo. Annihilation of the weapons is virtually
impossible, since some missiles will be shot down, some missiles will fail to destroy its targets,
some targets will be unknown and launcher submarines will be hidden and silent. The most
optimistic scenarios predict up to 95% of weapon annihilation, however more realistic
approaches would predict around 60 to 75%. This leaves a wide portion of weapons
immediately used for retaliation, possibly in a counter value strike.
5. Counter value strike:
Counter value, in military terms, means targeting valuable assets, not necessarily military
assets. These assets may be factories, civilian populations, soft targets, urban centres, or other
strategic (or not) targets. A counter value target, in nuclear warfare, would almost certainly
target urban centres and maximise the mega death (or mega corpse) number. Widely used
within the MAD doctrine as a target for a retaliatory strike, for the intimidation it bears, it has
been said ‘counter value’ is a euphemism for attacking cities.
Indo-Chinese Region:
After the end of World War II, communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the
establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in Hanoi in 1945. The resulting
power vacuum drew renewed French interest, leading to the First Indochina War between 1946
and 1954.
During this period, the then French controlled State of Vietnam was backed by the United States,
while the communist led DRV received support from the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic
of China. A decisive defeat for French forces in 1954 led to the Geneva Accords, which
temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel.
That same year, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was formed, with the United
States and its allies pledging mutual defense. South Vietnam was designated a “protocol state”
under this arrangement. In 1955, Ngô Đình Diệm became President of the Republic of Vietnam
(RV), replacing Emperor Bảo Đại.
In the years leading to 1962, both North and South Vietnamese forces engaged in sporadic
clashes, with communist guerrillas, commonly referred to as the Viet Cong, employing guerrilla
warfare in the South. The United States has dispatched personnel to South Vietnam, officially for
training purposes.
As of September 1962, no further confirmed details have emerged regarding outside involvement
in the conflict. However, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the Vietnam
People’s Army (VPA), alongside communist guerrilla units, continue to engage in intense
skirmishes near the 17th parallel.
Sino-Chinese Region:
After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Chinese forces entered and
took control of Tibet in 1950. In 1954, India and China signed the Panchsheel Agreement,
recognizing Tibet as part of China and affirming principles of peaceful coexistence. Despite the
agreement, border disputes continued along two main sectors, the western sector in Aksai Chin
and the eastern sector in the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA).
In 1957, China completed a road through Aksai Chin linking Xinjiang to western Tibet. India
protested the road’s construction, claiming Aksai Chin as part of Ladakh. In March 1959, the
Tibetan uprising took place, followed by the Dalai Lama’s arrival in India. Border incidents
increased from this period onward, including an armed clash at Longju in August 1959 and
another at Kongka La in October 1959, resulting in casualties on both sides.
During 1961 and into 1962, both sides established additional outposts in disputed areas. India
initiated the Forward Policy in late 1961, placing small detachments in territory claimed by
China. By mid 1962, reports indicated Chinese and Indian troops in close proximity in several
contested zones.
As of late September 1962, no major exchanges had been reported, but skirmishes and tense
standoffs continued along the frontier. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Indian
Army remained deployed in strength, particularly in Aksai Chin and NEFA, with the situation
described as highly volatile.
VIETNAM WAR
By 1962, the Vietnam conflict was deeply entrenched in the broader Cold War rivalry between
communism and capitalism. North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam), led by Ho Chi
Minh and supported by the Soviet Union and China, had intensified its logistical and military
support for the Viet Cong insurgency in the South, funnelling weapons, supplies, and advisers
through the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which cut through Laos and Cambodia.
South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam), under President Ngô Đình Diệm, was heavily reliant on
United States Assistance. By mid-September 1962, U.S. military advisers in the country
numbered over 10,000, and American pilots were flying combat and reconnaissance missions
alongside South Vietnamese forces. The Strategic Hamlet Program, aimed at relocating rural
populations into fortified villages to deny the Viet Cong access to resources and recruits, was
being implemented on a large scale but often provoked resentment, sometimes driving locals
toward the insurgents.
Guerrilla warfare, ambushes, and sabotage were increasing in intensity across the countryside,
while political dissent within South Vietnam grew. Although no large-scale battles had yet
captured global headlines, the steady military build-up and expanding foreign involvement by
September 15, 1962, made it clear that Vietnam was on the path to becoming one of the central
flashpoints of the Cold War.
TIMELINE:
● January–September 1962 – U.S.–Soviet Tensions Rise
The Cold War is intensifying. Both superpowers are increasing nuclear arsenals, testing
missiles, and competing for influence in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The U.S.
maintains military bases worldwide; the USSR is expanding its reach through military aid
and satellite states.
● January–February 1962 – U.S. Embargo on Cuba
The United States imposes a full economic embargo on Cuba following Fidel Castro’s
alignment with the Soviet Union. Soviet military aid to Cuba increases sharply.
● February 1962 – Sino-Indian Tensions
Border disputes between China and India escalate, foreshadowing the brief but intense
Sino-Indian War that will break out in October 1962.
● March 1962 – France Grants Algeria Independence
The Évian Accords end the Algerian War of Independence, leading to Algeria officially
becoming independent from France in July.
● April 1962 – U.S. Troop Build-Up in South Vietnam
The U.S. increases its military advisers in Vietnam to over 9,000, with combat support
roles beginning.
● May 1962 – Soviet Missile Tests & U.S. Alarm
The USSR tests long-range missiles; U.S. intelligence becomes concerned about potential
Soviet deployments in Cuba.
● July 1962 – Soviet Missiles Arrive in Cuba (Secretly)
Soviet shipments of medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles begin reaching
Cuba under heavy secrecy.
● August 1962 – Jamaica & Trinidad and Tobago Independence
These Caribbean nations gain independence from Britain, marking continued
decolonization.
● August 1962 – Border Skirmishes in Vietnam
Viet Cong guerrilla activity intensifies; U.S. pilots begin flying combat missions.
● August 1962 – Berlin Tensions
East German border guards shoot 18-year-old Peter Fechter while he attempts to cross the
Berlin Wall, heightening tensions between East and West.
● Early September 1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis Brews
U.S. aerial surveillance detects unusual Soviet activity in Cuba; Washington grows
uneasy, though the crisis hasn’t yet gone public.
● September 15,1962 – Cold War Flashpoints Multiply
By this date, the U.S. is heavily engaged in Vietnam, Soviet missiles are in Cuba,
tensions in Berlin remain high, and China–India relations are on the brink of war.
