AnnotatedBibliography

Primarysources(6)

"CubanCrisis:AStepbyStepReview."(1962):n.pag.
TheNewYorkTimes
.3Nov.1962.
Web.27Sept.2015.
ThisprimarysourcedocumentfromtheNewYorkTimeswaspublisheddirectlyafterthe
CubanMissileCrisisonNovember3rdof1962,anditrelaysstepbystepwhathappened
intheWhiteHouseduringthepanic.TheauthorputsemphasisonhowandwhytheU.S.
decidednottoattackCuba:formoralreasonsandtopreservethefaceoftheUnited
States.Thisarticlegivesusmoredetailintowhathappened,andweareconfidentthat
thatmoralargumentcouldmakeitswayintoourthesis.Theessayalsogivesusmore
contextonhowtheAmericanpublicrespondedtothethreat,andonhowpropagandaand
televisionswereusedtohelptheAmericanpeople.Theseexchangesofinformation
illustratesforuswhatthegovernmentdecidedtomakepublic,andwhattheydecidedto
makeprivate.WecanusethisspreadofinformationintheU.S.andcompareittoother
countriestounderstandhowdifferentleaderstelltheircitizensdifferentthings.Italso
demonstratesthedifferentleadershipstylesandhowthatcould'veaffectedtheoutcome
oftheCubanMissileCrisis.Thisarticledirectlyrelatestotheencountersandexchanges
ofideainboththegovernmentandinthepublic.

"CubanMissileCrisis."
CubanMissileCrisis
.BritishLibrary,n.d.Web.27Sept.2015.
Thisstunningcollectionofprimarysourcesisarareandvaluablefind.This
highdefinitionnewspaperfromthe23rdofOctober,1962illustrateshowtheAmerican
peoplewerefullybehindtheircountryduringthecrisis.Italsoshowsthetense
encountersdaybyday,aswellastheexchangesofconflictingideas,facts,andopinions,
allpreservedinnewspapers.Onearticle,whosetitlescreamsinlargelettersCuban
Blockade,referstoKennedysmoveassensational."Thisprovidedmewith
informationaboutthepublic'sviewofKennedyduringthisperiod.Thiscontextwillhelp
meinferotheropinionsasIcontinuemyresearch.KennedysspeechtotheAmerican
peopleisinthatsamearticle,aswellasareactionfromthenewspaperaboutit.Itis
importantformetoreadKennedy'sspeechestogetabetterunderstandingofwhat
informationhewasexpressingtothepublicandwhatwasbeingkeptconfidential.This
exchangeofinformationiscrucialtounderstandingtheCubanMissileCrisis.Thissource
willbevaluablewhenlookingmorecloselyatKennedysinstrumentalroleintheCuban
Crisis.Also,sinceitisingreatquality,wecanhopefullyembedtheimageofthe
newspaperonourwebsitetohelpconveyalloftheseideas.

Kennedy,RobertF."RobertF.KennedyTopSecretMemorandum."
Memorandumforthe
SecretaryofStatefromtheAttorneyGeneral
(n.d.):n.pag.
Nsarchive.gwu.edu
.Web.27
Sept.2015.
ThisprimarysourceisamemorandumwrittenbyRFKthatdetailsthedealthathe
proposedwiththeSovietambassador.ThesourcesaysthatAmericawouldformally
agreetonotinvadeCubaifthemissilesweretakenbacktotheSovietUnion,butthat
theywouldnotgiveupthemissilesinTurkey.Italsohasaveryclearsenseofurgency
andRFKstatesthathebelievestheyhavebeentrickedbytheSovietambassadorand
Khrushchevhimself.Thiswasextremelyimportanttousbecauseitgaveusnewand
personaldataaboutRFKsroleinthecrisis,andalsofitsintotheexchangepartofthe
NHDtheme.

TheUnitedStatesofAmerica.CentralIntelligenceAgency.
MajorConsequencesofCertainUS
CoursesofActiononCuba
.NSAArchive,n.d.Web.13Sept.2015.
Ourfirstprimaryoneisanimportantone.ThisisanofficialreportfromtheCIA
predictingwhattheSovietUnioncoulddoinresponsetodecisionsmadebytheUnited
States.Thedocumentisbothtypedandhandwritten.Itdescribesthemissilesandother
weaponsthattheSovietUnionpossessedinCuba,andalsooutlinesdangerousSoviet
objectivesthatcouldaffecttheworld.Thissource,andotherCIAdocumentslikeit,will
beamajorhelpinillustratinghowperiloustheexchangeofletters,demands,and
weaponswereduringtheCubanMissileCrisis.)

Touze,Vincent,andJohnHawkes."CubanMissileCrisisExCommTranscripts."N.p.,n.d.
Web.12Oct.2015.
ThisprimarysourceisthewrittentranscriptoftherecordingsofExCommdiscussions
duringtheCubanMissileCrisis.Thesourceisentirelydevoidofanyoutsidecommentary
oropinions,andissimplywhatthemembersofthecommitteesaid.Thisenablesusto
divefurtherthanjustthewordsinthetranscriptandbegintocomprehendthedifferent
dynamicsandpersonalitiesoftheteam.Understandinghowthedifferentopinions,
relationships,backgrounds,andvaluesofeachmemberwillinturngivetoour
understandingofhowdecisionsintheCubanMissileCrisisweremadeasawhole.This
newperspectiveisunique,especiallysosincetheconversationsinthetranscriptisvery
differentfromhowthegovernmentreportedthematterin1962.Comparingthe
encountersthegovernmenthadwiththepublicandwhatwasactuallygoingoninside
confidentialmeetingswillhelpcontributetoourgeneralunderstandingofourtopic.Also,
learningabouthoweachimportantdecisionwasmadehelpsuswithunderstandingwhy
eachandeveryencounterwithothercountrieswassointenselystrategizedandplanned.

"UniversalInternationalNews."TheCubanCrisis.Oct.1962.Smithsonian.Web.27Sept.2015.

ThisisaprimarysourceofanewsreelduringtheMissileCrisisinOctoberof1962.It
containsvideofootageoftheinsidemeetingwiththeUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil,
thewaysCubawaspreparingforwhattheyfeltwasanimminentwar,andeven
directionsforAmericansonhowtheycouldbesafeincaseofanuclearattack.This
websitegaveusgreatvisualsonthevariousencountersinimportantmeetingswithother
countriesandwiththeUnitedNations.Theseencounterswerebeneficialtothe
U.S.,manyalsoshowedhowtheworldwasdependingontheAmericanstatesand
countriestocomeupwithasolutiontopreventcrisis.Also,justbyseeingthemissile
visualsandthevideoclipsinCuba,welearnedaboutwhatothercountrieswereseeing
andwhytheentireworldwasonedgeduringthistimeperiod.Thisvideoprovidedus
withavisualthatwillhelptoenhanceourwebsitewhenwecreateit.Thisvideoshowed
howtheU.S.exchangedinformationwithitscitizensandwithothercountriesinthe
world.Italsoillustratesthetenseencounterswithothercountries,andhowtheU.S.
Governmentwasexploringmanyoptionstodealwiththecrisis.Thesignificanceofthe
interactionsinthesourcewillcertainlyhelpusclearlyseehowtheencounterthemefits
intotheCubanMissileCrisis.

SecondarySources(25)

Biography.comEditors."FidelCastro."
Bio.com
.A&ENetworksTelevision,n.d.Web.20Sept.
2015.
InordertogainvaluablebackgroundinformationaboutCastro,wewenttothereliable
website
biography.com
tolearnmore.WhilethearticlecontainsfactsaboutCastros
birthdate,college,andmaritalstatus,itisparticularlyusefulbecauseoftheexplanationof
theeventspriortotheCubanMissileCrisis.ItbeginsbydescribingCastrosinitialfailed
attemptatoverthrowingFulgencioBatista,thedictatorofCubainthe1950s,andhis
successfulguerrillawarthatallowedhimtotakecontrolofthegovernment.Furthermore,
itexplainshowandwhyCastrochosetobecomeaCommunistandthebuilduptothe
CubanMissileCrisis.ThishelpsustounderstandwhyCastrobecameinvolvedwith
CommunismandtheSovietUnioninthefirstplaceandwhyheactedthewayhedid
duringthecrisis.

Brubaker,Paul.
TheCubanMissileCrisisinAmericanHistory.
BerkeleyHeights,NJ:Enslow,
2001.Print.
ThisbookcentersaroundhowAmericaandJohnF.KennedyrespondedtotheCuban
MissileCrisis.ItstartsoffdescribingtheColdWarindetail,includingtheArmsRace,the
MissileGap,andtheSpaceRace,andthesignificanceoftheseevents.Italsogoesinto
detailontheopinionsofFidelCastroandhisrisetopower.Thisisagreatbookbecauseit
goesintoextremedetailabouttheCubanMissileCrisisfromallanglesofapproach.It

alsogivesusagreatdealofunbiasedcontextaroundtheColdWaringeneral,whichwill
helpguideusthroughthedensehistoryofourtopicandunderstanditmuchbetter.The
neutralityofPaulBrubaker,whoservedastheCIOfortheDefenseDepartment,will
certainlyhelpusinshapingaroundedwebsiteinthenearfuture.)

"CubanHistory,MissileCrisis(3of4)."
CubanHistory,MissleCrisis(3of4)
.MarxistHistory,
n.d.Web.20Sept.2015.
ThissecondarysourcewebsiteisagoodtimelineoftheeventsthatpassedinCuba.Since
itispublishedbyarathersocialisticwebsite,itistoldfromCubaspointofview,which
helpsusgainadifferentperspectiveoftheeventsthatpassedonethatwedidntlearnin
class.NikitaKhrushchevisdepictedveryrationallyhere,andthedecisionsmadebyboth
partiesareshowntobequestionedbyother,lessimportantpoliticalfigures.Also,the
websitebringstoattentionthesituationFidelCastrowasin,aswellasthefactthatthe
U.S.militaryhadnuclearbasesinturkey,whichisintheSovietUnionssphereof
influence.ThewebsitealsocontainsmanyofficialdocumentsfromandaboutFidel
Castro,butmostofthesearenotrelevanttoourspecifictopic.Regardless,thefactsand
statisticsonthiswebsiteandinthisarticlewilldefinitelyhelpusshapeawelleducated
argumentabouttheCrisis.

"CubanMissileCrisis."
CubanMissileCrisis
.HarvardUniversity,n.d.Web.13Sept.2015.
ThisisasecondarysourcethatismadeforteacherswhoareteachingabouttheCuban
MissileCrisis.Thiswillnotonlybehelpfulintermsofdata,butalsogivesaunique
teachingperspectivefrom.Thissourcewashelpfulbecauseitgaveusaverygood
overviewoftheeventsandwhatactuallyhappened.Forexample,itgivesachronological
sequenceofAmericanreactionstothedevelopmentofthemissilesinCuba.Thissource
isnotanythingspecial,butitcertainlyhelpedgetanedgeofwhatactuallyhappened
duringcrisis.

"CubanMissileCrisis."
JohnF.KennedyPresidentialLibrary&Museum
.N.p.,n.d.Web.13
Sept.2015.
ThiswebsiteisasecondarysourcebytheJohnF.KennedyLibraryandMuseum.The
websitedetailsJFK'searlylife,risetopower,anddeath.Thiswebsitegaveusinsightas
towhyandhowJFKbecamepresident.Furthermore,itdetailsthedifferentpolicy
decisionsandforeignaffairsissueshefaced,includingtheCubanMissileCrisis.
Additionally,thereareanumberofdifferentspeechesthatwecanseehowJFK
approachedpublicizingthecrisis.

"CubanMissileCrisis."
TheWorldontheBrinkJohnF.KennedyPresidentialLibrary&
Museum
.JohnF.KennedyPresidentialLibrary&Museum,n.d.Web.13Sept.2015.

Thiswebsite,whileitissponsoredbytheJohnF.Kennedymuseum,isactuallya
differentwebsitethantheprevioussource.Thissecondarysourcewasdefinitelyan
importantfind.Itnotonlycontainsmanyusefulprimarysourcessuchasofficialletters
writtenbypeoplesuchasJohnF.KennedyandFidelCastro,butitisactuallyan
interactiveexperiencethattakesyouthroughthethirteendaysoftheCubanMissile
Crisisandthevariousresponsesworldleadershadtoit.Thesourcehashelpedusgeta
widerpictureofwhathappened,andtakeeachimportanteventdaybyday.Theformatof
thewebsitegaveusperspectiveonhowquicklytheCrisisescalated,andhowperilousthe
situationwasfortheentireworld.)

TheCubanMissileCrisis,1962:Documents
.TheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity,n.d.Web.13
Sept.2015.
Thisisanotherwebsitethatconsistsofdeclassifiedmilitarydocuments.Thereareabout
30primarysourcesonthiswebsite,manyofwhicharedirectlyfromtheSovietUnion.
ThisisextremelyimportantbecauseitallowstoresearchtheSovietUnionwithgreat
detailandensuresthatourargumentwillnotonlybefromtheAmericanperspective.One
ofthemostprominentsourcesthatwefoundwasalistofSovietmilitaryorders.Thisis
extremelyhelpfulbecauseitshowsuswhattheSovietswerereallydoingduringthe
crisis,andnotjustwhattheAmericansthoughttheyweredoing.

"CubanMissileCrisis(1962)."
TheNewYorkTimes
.N.p.,n.d.Web.27Sept.2015.
ThisessayfromtheNewYorkTimeswaswrittenbyMichaelDobbs,theauthorofthe
ColdWarTrilogy,anditexplorestherationalebehindKhrushchevsordertoput
missilesinCubaaswellashowclosetheworldwastonuclearwarfare.Forinstance,
DobbsexplainsthatKhrushchevwasprobablymotivatedtoputmissilesintoCuba
becauseofbuiltupmissilesthattheUnitedStateshadinTurkey,whichwereofa
comparabledistance.Furthermore,welearnedthatRFKsecretlyagreedtoremovethis
weaponsfromTurkeyiftheSovietUnionagreedtoremovetheirmissilesfromCuba,
wasextremelyimportantbecauseitshowsbothcountriesagreeingtostepdownandwork
witheachother.WealsodiscoveredthattheSovietUnionhadactuallydeployed98
tacticalweaponsinCubathatcouldstopanyAmericanattack,andaccordingtoDobbs
theworldmostlyavoidedwarbecauseofluck.

Finkelstein,NormanH.
ThirteenDays/NinetyMiles:TheCubanMissileCrisis
.NewYork:J.
Messner,1994.Print.
Thisbookisprobablyoneofourbestprintsources.Includingimportantpictures,itgoes
intoextremedetailontheeveryaspectoftheColdWarandeverytinydecisionmadeby
JohnF.Kennedy.Thereweremanymoresmallissuesthatarenotusuallydiscussed
aroundtheCubanMissileCrisisthatwereincludedinthisbook.Theonlyproblemisthat

thestoryistoldexclusivelyfromKennedyandAmerica'sperspective,whileonlyspeaking
ofwhatwashappeninginCubaandRussiawhenithastodowithAmerica.However,this
sourcealsoincludespagesonpagesofrelevantdeclassifiedCIAdocuments,including
lettersfromtheAttorneyGeneraltoKennedy.Thisbookgivesuscontextaroundwhat
causedtensionstobesohighintheColdWar,aswellasasignificantpointofviewfrom
oneofthemostimportantfiguresduringtheCubanMissileCrisis.Also,theendofthe
booklistsmorepossiblesourcestoread,whichwillbeofgreathelpinourresearch.

Hershberg,James,G."TheCubanMissileCrisis,1962:ADocumentsReader."
ChoiceReviews
Online
30.09(1993):n.pag.
ColdWarInternationalHistoryProjectBulletin
.Web.13
Sept.2015.
Thissourceisanespeciallyinterestingone:itdescribesinintensedetailnewevidenceof
theCubanMissileCrisisfromRussianarchives.Thissourcewillbeofgreatusetous
whenwetrytoillustratethedifferentperspectivesoftheCrisisandhowittrulyaffected
theentireworld.TheRussiansrecalltheCubanencounterdifferentlythantheAmericans,
sincetheyhavedifferentinformation.JamesHershbergbreaksthisdownoverabout
eightypages,andlistsmanyfuturevaluablesourceswecanuse.Hershbergmayalso
provetobeaninterestinginterviewlateron.Thisrelatestoourthesisgreatly:sincewe
arearguingthattheUnitedStateswasactuallythecountrythatcausedtheCubanMissile
Crisis,itisvaluabletohaveaRussianpointofviewsayingtheexactsamething.This
alsorelatestotheexploretheme,sincetheRussianswereexploringnewideasand
opinions.)

Hershberg,Jim."TheAnatomyofControversy."
Http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/
.N.p.,n.d.Web.12
Oct.2015.
ThisarticleusesbothprimaryandsecondarysourcestoexplainRFKssecretnegotiation
totaketheJupitermissilesoutofTurkeyinexchangefortheremovalofSovietmissiles
inCuba.TheauthorbeginsbyexplainingthatwhentheagreementtoremovetheJupiter
missileswasmadeitwaskeptasecretfromthepublic.Infact,theissuehadneverbeen
publiclydiscusseduntilRFKsbookwasposthumouslypublished,buteventherethedeal
isneverexplicitlymentioned.However,theauthorthenpresentsseveralkeyprimary
sourcesthatrevealthattheRFKdidinfactpromisetoremovethemissilesfromCuba.
Oneofthemostprominentsourcesisfromhisspeechwriterandeditor,Theodore
Sorenson,whoadmitsthatRFKdidnegotiatetheremovalofthemissilesandthatitwas
deliberatelyeditedoutofRFKsbook.Inanotherprimarysource,atelegramfromthe
SovietAmbassadortotheSovietForeignMinistry,describeshowRFKrelayedthe
messageofJFKthattheUnitedStateswouldbewillingtoremovethemissilesfrom
Turkeyifitwaskeptasecret.Thisarticleisextremelyimportanttoourprojectbecauseit

showsthattheUnitedStateswantedtoappearasthewinnerofthisconfrontation,butto
keepthepeaceatthesametime.

Kokoshin,Andrew."BallisticMissileDefenceandStrategicStability."(2005):n.pag.Belter
Center.HarvardEDU.Web.15Oct.2015.
Inthissecondarysourcepaper,AndreiKokoshin,amemberoftheRussianAcademyof
SciencesandsixthsecretaryoftheRussianSecurityCouncil,discussestheeventsthat
transpiredduringtheCubanMissileCrisis.WhilemostRussianpublicationsonthistopic
aregearedtowardsSovietmotivesanddecisionmaking,thisparticularessayexploredthe
crisisinthecontextoftheevolutionofstrategyinrelationsbetweentheSovietUnionand
theUnitedStates.Thissourceisparticularlyimportantbecauseitoffersclearconclusions
fromthecrisisandurgesthereadertolearnfromhistory'smistakes.Theseinsightsalso
allowacloserscrutinyofthelittleknownbutimportantdetailsaboutboththebehaviors
oftheSovietUnionandtheU.S.Thisauthoralsodisclosesinformationthathelearned
throughpersonalcommunicationswithmanyofficialswhowereactivelyinvolvedinthe
processtopreventtheCrisis.Kokoshin'sintensedetailsgivesusanewwaytolookatthe
Soviet/USencounterandhowtoassesthedecisionmakingthere.Thissourcegivesusa
perspectivethatwasmissingthroughoutmuchofourresearch,andwillhelpstressthe
significanceofindividualSovietopinionsandpersonalitiesontheoveralloutcomeofthe
CubanMissileCrisis.)

Lebow,RichardNed."CubanMissileCrisis:ReadingtheLessonsCorrectly."
TheCubanMissile
Crisis:ReadingtheLessonsCorrectly
(n.d.):n.pag.
Www.jstor.org
.Web.27Sept.2015.
Thisarticleisparticularlyintriguingasitdiscussesthelessonsthatwerelearnedfromthe
CubanMissileCrisisbyresearchingeachpossiblereasonthatKhrushchevputmissilesin
Cuba.ThejournalbeginsbyanalyzingtheideathatthatthemissileswereputintoCuba
withthegoalofbeingdiscoveredbytheAmericans,whichwouldhavegiventheSoviet
UnionpowertonegotiatetheremovaloftheweaponsforAmericaagreeingtogive
WesternGermanytotheUnion.Thisisanextremelyinterestingideaandisthefirsttime
wehavecomeacrossthislineofthinking.Thesourcealsotouchesupontheideathat
KhrushchevbadlymisinterpretedwhattheAmericanresponsewouldbe,whichisa
somewhatpopularbutveryplausibleidea.ThesepointsarebothimportanttotheNHD
themebecausetheyhelptoexplaintheexplorationbetweenAmericaandtheSoviet
Unionforaforeignaffairsperspective.

Martin,Michael."ChildhoodMemoriesOfTheCubanMissileCrisis."
NPR
.NPR,n.d.Web.12
Oct.2015.
ThissourceisananNPRinterviewthatexploreshowtheCubanMissileCrisisaffected
theAmericanpublic,specificallychildren.Thereweretwowomenwhowere

interviewed,onewholivedinMiamiatthetimeofthecrisisandonewholivedinCuba.
ThetwotalkabouthowtheyexperiencedtheCubanMissileCrisiswithoutfully
understandingwhatwashappeningduetotheirage,whichreflectshowtheAmericanand
Cubansocietiesweredealingwiththethreatoftotalannihilation.TheAmericanMarta
Darby,recallsnotbeingabletosleepatnightanddoingNuclearMissilepracticedrills,in
whichtheywoulddiveundertheirdesksandsimplywaituntilanannouncementtold
themtheycouldreturntoclass.TheCuban,MariaSalgado,rememberseverythingabout
thecrisisbeingkeptquiet,andviewingthecrisisasmoreofatypicaleventduetothe
recentattacksandinstabilityofCuba.Theseuniqueviewpointsshowhowtheencounter
betweentheSovietUnion,Cuba,andAmericaaffectedmorethanjustthepoliticiansand
governmentsinvolved,butalsotheaveragecitizenswhocoulddonothingbutwatchthe
eventsunfold.

Matthews,Joe."CubanMissileCrisis:TheOther,SecretOneBBCNews."
BBCNews
.British
BroadcastingChannel,13Oct.2012.Web.27Sept.2015.
Thisauthoritativesourceisaveryinterestingessayinregardstohiddeninformationthat
journalistJoeMatthewsandhisRussiancoworkeruncoveredinSt.Petersburg,Russia.
AttheSovietSubmarinersVeterans'Societyin2012,SvetlanaSavranskaya,the
previousdirectoroftheRussianarchives,toldthemanincrediblestoryofhow,whenthe
U.S.thoughtthemissilecrisiswouldbeover,itwasntfortheSovietUnionandCuba.
TheSovietUnionandCubahadmoremissiles,anditwasasecondmissilecrisisofsorts
whentheSovietUnionhadtonegotiatewithanangryFidelCastrotoextractthe
weapons.Thisinformationwaspublishedonadistinguishedprogram,andashortfilm
wasmadeaboutitaswell.Thesenewdetailswillchangeourargumentalittle,sincewe
nowknowthattheSovietUnionandCubahadundercoverdealings.Also,thesecret
encountersandexchangeswerehiddenfromtheUnitedStates,meaningthattheflowof
informationwasclearlydifferentthanwethoughtitwas.Also,thewaythattheSoviet
UnionencounteredFidelCastrowasverydifferentthanthewaytheUnitedStatesdid,
whichwilladdhowwelookatexchangesofinformationingeneral.)

Medina,LoretaM.
TheCubanMissileCrisis
.SanDiego:Greenhaven,2002.Print.
Thisbookisinterestinginthewaythatit'swritten.Thefirstchaptergivessortofthemore
traditionaltimelinestoryoftheCubanMissileCrisis.Thenextchapters,however,tellthe
storyfromthedifferentperspectivesofimportantpeoplesuchasFidelCastro,RobertF.
Kennedy,andNikitaKhrushchev.Thesechaptersusethefirstperson,soitisunclear
whethertheywereactualwordsandstatementstakenfromspecificspeechesandcompiled
intoanarrative,orifitisjusttheauthor'stakeonwhatsheassumestheimportantpeople
wouldsay.Eitherway,thisbookisextremelyusefulandgivesusmultipleothersources
suchasRobertF.KennedysbookThirteenDays,andpossiblepeopletointerview.


Mullings,Jacob."GeorgetownSecurityStudiesReviewEmbassyMoscow:ADiplomatic
PerspectiveoftheCubanMissileCrisis."
GeorgetownSecurityStudiesReview
.
GeorgetownUniversity,10Dec.2013.Web.13Sept.2015.
ThissecondarysourceisgreatforprovidingperspectiveontheCubanMissileCrisis.
WhilemostoftheotherwebsitesgenerallycenteraroundJohnF.Kennedysrolein
handlingthecrisis,JacobMullingsclosesinonveryspecificquestionsaboutthe
roleof
diplomatsandU.S.ForeignServiceOfficers,aswellashowtheAmericanembassyin
MoscowparticipatedinthisU.S.Sovietconfrontation.ThisrelatedtotheExCommpart
ofourthesis,inthesensethat

Pavy,Jeanne."TheRoleoftheExecutiveCommitteeintheCubanMissileCrisis."
Loyno.edu
.
N.p.,n.d.Web.12Oct.2015.
ThissecondarysourcedetailsthemembersofExComm,theirpersonalideasonhowto
solvetheCubanMissileCrisis,andhowJFKsactionswereaffectedbytheir
suggestions.ExCommhadawiderangeofpoliticalideologies,rangingfrom
conservativeslikeDeanAcheson,toliberalssuchasAdlaiStevenson,andeverythingin
between.ThearticleexplainsthattheconservativemembersofExCommwantedto
performadirectairstrikeonCuba,andthatthemoreliberalmemberspreferedablockade
ofCuba.Intheend,JFKdecidedtoformablockade,adecisionthatwasundeniably
influencedbyExComm,butinterestinglyalsodecidedtoremoveAmericanmissilesfrom
Turkey,whichwasnotapopularideawithinthecommittee.Thisarticleexhibitstherole
ofExCommininfluencingJFKandexploringmutuallyassureddestruction.

Schwartz,Benjamin."TheRealCubanMissileCrisis."TheAtlantic.N.p.,n.d.Web.13Oct.
2015.
ThissecondarysourcewrittenbyBenjaminSchwartztakesawholenewlookatthe
AmericanperspectiveoftheCubanMissileCrisis.Theauthorexaminesabookwritten
bySheldonM.Stern,arenownedhistorianwhohasworkedattheJohnF.Kennedy
Libraryfor23yearsandwhowasthefirstscholartoexaminetheExCommtranscripts.
SternarguesthatJohnF.Kennedyandhisadministration"boreasubstantialshareofthe
responsibilityfortheonsetoftheCubanMissileCrisis".Thisconclusionisonenotoften
argued,sincethemedia,historians,andgovernmentofficialsallturnablindeyetothe
facts.Kennedy,bygivinganultimatumtotheSovietUnion,wasactuallyonthe
offensive,andtheaggressorcountry.Thisnewperspectivegivesusamuchmore
roundedviewoftheUnitedStatesandExCommintheCubanMissileCrisis.Italsohelps
usseethevariousencountersinamuchdifferentlight,sincetheU.S.couldnotbe
consideredblamefree.Thissourcewillbeespeciallyhelpfulinbuildingourargument
aboutExComm'sroleinsolvingandincausingthecrisis.)


Sherwin,MartinJ."OneStepfromNuclearWar."
Www.archives.gov
.N.p.,n.d.Web.20Sept.
2015.
Thisarticlefrom
archives.gov
analizestheCubanMissileCrisisfromtheperspectiveof
theAmericangovernment.Itbeginswithavividdescriptionofwhattheworldwould
havebeenlikehadaNuclearWaractuallystartedinordertoshowjusthowdangerous
thecrisiswasandtosetthetonefortherestofthearticle.ItthendivesrightintoJohnF.
Kennedysresponsetothediscoveryofthemissilesandhisannouncementtothepublic.
Afterthis,thearticledescribesJFKsrelationshipwiththe
ExecutiveCommitteeofthe
NationalSecurityCouncil(ExComm)andtheytriedtorespondtothecrisisasit
continuedtodevelop.Furthermore,itgivesanindepthlookatJFKsrelationshipwith
Khrushchevandhowtheywereabletoagreetoendthecrisisandthethreatofnuclear
war.

Thompson,JosephT."TheCubanMissileCrisisinContext."
THECUBANMISSILECRISISIN
CONTEXT
(n.d.):n.pag.
Www.rivier.edu
.RivierUniversity.Web.27Sept.2015.
Thissourceisanelevenpagescholarlyjournalthatgivesindepthanalysisaboutthemost
importanteventsoftheMissileCrisis.Forexample,ittalksabouttheBayofPigsraid
andhowitwasafailureduetoAmericanincompetenceandledtoCubadistrustingthe
UnitedStates.Furthermore,itdiscussestherolethatsimplemisconceptionshadin
affectingthecrisis.Forexample,KhrushchevstartedputtingmissilesintoCubabecause
hethoughtthatJFKwouldsimplygiveupandacceptthemwhenhediscoveredthe
implementation,whichofcoursewascompletelywrong.Finally,thearticlealso
discussesdifferentpossibilitiesforwhyKhrushchevwantedtoputmissilesinCuba.We
learnedthatthereisnoclearanswer,butitverywellmayhavebeenbecausetheSoviet
UnionwantedtoprotectthecommunistregimeinCuba.Inconclusion,thissourceswas
extremelyusefulandhelpedusunderstandthespecificdetailsofthecrisis.

"ThreeMenGotoWar."
PBSVideo
.PBS,n.d.Web.20Sept.2015.
Thisstunningandpowerfuldocumentaryemphasizeshowclosetheworldwastototal
destructionduringtheCubanMissileCrisisandtherelationshipbetweenJFK,
Khrushchev,andCastro.Thedocumentaryconsistsofinterviewsandperspectivesfroma
varietyofprofessors,experts,andmilitarypersonnelabouttheeventsoftheCuban
MissileCrisis,includinganAmericanAirForcepilot,aCIAphotographinterpreter,and
Khrushchev'sson,Sergei.Thedocumentaryisessentiallyanoverviewofwhathappened
inthecrisis,butwhatmakesituniqueishowtheytellthestoryfromthepeoplethatwere
interviewed,notfromtheperspectiveofasomeonedoingaresearchproject,andthe
vividvisualeffectsthatareused.

UnitedStatesofAmerica.ByVincentFerraro.N.p.:n.p.,n.d.
DocumentsRelatingtotheBayof
PigsInvasionandtheCubanMissileCrisis
.Web.13Sept.2015.
Thewebsiteconsistsofmorethan100declassifiedprimarysourcesfromduringandafter
theCubanMissileCrisis.Thesesourcesprovideinvaluablefirsthandexperiencesaswell
asintelligencefrompreviouslytopsecretfiles.Oneofthesourcesthatstoodouttouse
wasaseriesoflettersbetweenFidelCastroandNikitaKhrushchev.Thelettersconsistof
militaryconversationsandideology,whichwillallowustogoinsideofwhattheleaders
werethinkingatthetime.

Welch,DavidA."AnIntroductiontoExCommTranscripts."TheMITPress(1987):n.pag.
BelferCenter.HarvardEDU.Web.11Oct.2015.
ThissecondarysourceisanarrativetalkingaboutthetranscriptoftheExCommmeetings
duringthemidstoftheCubanMissileCrisis.AuthorsDavidA.WelchandJamesG.
BlightmakeextremelyusefulinsightsaboutthedynamicsofExComm.Theyoutlinethe
TrollopePloy,akeyparttotheExCommandUnitedStatesstrategy.Also,theyspeak
aboutTurkey'simportantyetoftenoverlookedroleintheCubanMissileCrisis,a
perspectivethataddsdepthtoourproject.ThisinformationaboutTurkeycanalsohelpus
formatourthesistoincludethedealingsofthiscountryaswell.Thisoverallpapergives
usadifferentviewintothemindofJohnF.Kennedy,sincetheauthor'swalkthroughthe
transcriptwithoutrecitingitandpracticallyreadhisemotions.Evenso,thismethodof
assumingthatheis"angry"or"frustrated"withouthimactuallysayingsodeservestobe
questioned.Overall,thispaperstressesthesignificanceofmanydifferenteventsduring
theMissileCrisis,includingtheU2planebeingshotdown,whichforreasonsexplained,
israrelyeverdiscussedinlargedetail.Thesourcecontributestotheencountersand
dynamicsofExComm,aswellasthehiddenencountersandexchangeswithTurkeyand
theirJupitermissiles.

White,Mark."RobertKennedyandtheCubanMissileCrisis:AReinterpretation."
Unc.edu
.
AmericanDiplomacyPublishers,n.d.Web.12Oct.2015.
ThepurposeofthissecondarysourceistoexplainRFKsroleinthedecisionmaking
processoftheCubanMissileCrisis.However,theauthorarguesthatRFKwasnotas
perfectashistorycommonlydepictshim.Forexample,thearticlestatesthatRFKwas
initiallyinfavorofaninvasionofCubainsteadofablockadebecauseofhisrecent
failureintheBayofPigs.Hewasessentiallylookingforrevenge.Additionally,theauthor
believesthatwhenRFKmadehisfamouscomparisontotheJapanesewhileplanningthe
PearlHarborattackwasnotametaphoraboutthedangersofviolentlyenteringawar.He
suggeststhatRFKwasbeingliteralbecausehewantedtosurpriseattackCuba.The
authoralsostatesthatRobertMcNamarahadjustasmuchofaleadershiprolewhen
promotingablockadeasRFK,andpossiblyevenmore.However,theauthordoes

acknowledgeRFKsimportantroleinpreventingmilitaryactionandnegotiatingwiththe
SovietUnionlateroninthecrisis.Thisinformationisrelevanttoourprojectbecauseit
notonlydescribesRFKstrueroleintheCubanMissileCrisis,butalsoExComms
influenceonJFKsdecisionmaking.