Oral+History

Summary: Cuban Missile Crisis. Cuba was taken over by communist control. Cuba agrees to allow the the Soviet Union to have a military base in Cuba. First the US finds out that Cuba has Missle launchers. This causes a little bit of worry. The biggest worry came when the US spotted nuclear warheads in Cuba. JFK had a decision to make, he could invade Cuba, he could set up a naval blockade, he could launch missiles to Cuba, or he could try to work out an agreement. He first decides to set up a naval blockade around cuba. He then tells the citizens what is going on. He tells them the whole truth. He then works out an agreement with the soviet union. If they take their missiles out of cuba then the US will take their missiles out of Turkey. They agreed to this deal and the cuban missile crisis ended.

Questions: What was going on in your life at the time of the crisis?-

//"My first son Mike was born. I had just started a new job at IBM. I had been married less than a year."//

When did you first hear about the missiles in Cuba? What was your response?

//"I heard about it on the evening news with Walter Cronkite. I was concerned but not panicked, I figured Rochester MN was a long way from Cuba."//

How did the community react to the news? What things changed in your community?

//"There was a lot of discussion in the neighborhood and at work. There was a greater awareness of what was going on globally."//

What was the media like? What were people saying about it?

//"All the news channels were talking about it. It was on the front page of paper for days. They were wondering if this would lead to WWIII, or if Russia would get involved."//

What did you think should have been done about the missiles? Do you think John F. Kennedy did the right things?

//"I think that the things he did was the right things, he kept us out of war, he got the missiles out of Cuba. He did the right things."//

What do you remember about the end of the crisis? Was the nation in a sigh of relief or was there still panic?

//"There was definitely relief, some still worried. There was also a lot of praise for Kennedy because he did such a good job."//

How do you think the crisis affect the lives of people, even after it was over?

//"It intensified the tension of the cold war. There was now even more hate toward Russia."

Reflection:

I didn't know much about the crisis before we studied it but I thought he would be a little more scared. It seemed that he wasn't to worried about the situation in Cuba. There could have been a nuclear war. But i guess it would be different if you lived in the south where the missiles could definitely reach. I wasn't surprised about the media that surrounded it though. I would think there would still be news about it even after it was over. It was probably hyped up on the news too. They probably exaggerated the truth with probably made people even more panicked. Many people probably praised JFK for such a good job. There could of been a nuclear war but he kept us out of it. //