Cuba historiography

Cuba historiography

• 1.
  Historiography Cuban Missiles Crisis Basedon research by Réachbha Fitzgerald, Oxford University
• 2.
  Initial Responses  Earlycommentators on the crisis had an American dominated view.  As documents have become declassified the Soviet and Cuban perspective on the crisis has opened up
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  Traditional Interpretations  Many‘traditional’ interpretations of the crisis come from commentators and members of the U.S. Administration at the time  Largely based on personal recollection and reinforced with available official documents (nearly always American).
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  Traditional Interpretations  Presentthe presence of missiles on Cuba as an intolerable provocation:  Kennedy had to respond to protect balance of power  Kennedy had to convince USSR of American resolve  Blockade is praised as optimal strategy  Outcome of Crisis is a triumph for USA
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  Traditional Interpretations Arthur Schlesinger ‘A Thousand Days: John F Kennedy in the White House’, 1965  Special Assistant to JFK  “American leadership… dazzled the world.”
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  Traditional Interpretations Robert Kennedy ‘Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis’, 1969  US Attorney General 1961- 1964. Brother of John F. Kennedy
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  Traditional Interpretations  SovietAccounts: only Khrushchev’s memoirs and letters written to USA were available pre-glasnost.  Other Soviet accounts from the 1960s and 1970s are propagandistic  Limited Soviet sources available.  Khrushchev and USSR’s motives can often only be speculated upon.
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  Revisionist Interpretations  Acommon mistrust of JFK and an assertion he brought the world closer to nuclear war  More emphasis give to idea that the missiles were placed on Cuba to defend Castro’s socialist regime against an anticipated American invasion.  Still had little access to Soviet or Cuban sources, so tends to apportion blame to USA rather than explain Soviet or Cuban motives
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  Revisionist Interpretations T. G.Paterson  ‘Bearing the burden: a critical look at JFK’s foreign policy’ Virginia Quarterly Review (Spring 1974)  “The President’s desire to score a victory.”  “Kennedy gave Khrushchev no chance to withdraw his mistake or to save face”
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  Post - Revisionist Interpretations Use declassified documents  Attempt to construct a holistic view  Highlights the importance of CIA activity, from the Bay of Pigs to Operation Mongoose  Improves JFK’s reputation as a ‘dove’ and emphasises later US (secret) agreement to remove missiles from Turkey
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  Post - RevisionistInterpretations John Lewis Gaddis  ‘We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History’ 1997  “Two superpowers dominated the post-1945 world; each often acted in response to what the other had done.”  Khrushchev as an impulsive believer in supporting the Cuban revolution