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Submitted by cymbal on April 9, 2005
Category: American History
Words: 1187 | Pages: 5
Views: 541
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Introduction:
¡¥Khrushchev must not be certain that, where its vital interests are threatened, the US will never strike first. As Kennedy says, ¡§In some circumstances we might have to take the initiative.¡¨¡¦ These words, readily published in 1962, became the verification to both Khrushchev and Kennedy that the Soviet Union and the United States would be preparing for a nuclear war. One could simply take Kennedy¡¦s threat at face value. The United States in 1962 was a growing empire whose military credentials outmanoeuvred that of the Soviet Union by a decade. Here, outlined, are two factors which prove that President Kennedy was technically able to initiate a nuclear war while, also discussed, are two factors that would prove to be a likely source of negativity towards such an initiative. Thus, proving that regardless of the military advantage that the United States had over the Soviet Union, President Kennedy did not wish to initiate a nuclear war.
Strong-Point/Introductory, Key Argument #1:
Militaristically, the U.S. was in a significantly advantageous situation over Russia. If he wished to, Kennedy would have been capable of striking the Soviet Union with nuclear missiles.
„« In 1962, the U.S. had an estimated 5 100 nuclear weapons while the Soviet Union had only approximately 300.
„« The Soviet¡¦s Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM¡¦s) were 10 years behind what the Americans were producing.
„« The Americans had stealth spy capabilities far greater than the Soviets
o U.S spy satellites were focused on the Soviet.
„X In 1962, Daniel Ellsberg, part of the Rand Corporation and later publishing the Pentagon Papers on Vietnam, commented that to show the Russians the U.S. supremacy, ¡§it would be simpler to send Khrushchev the precise geographical coordinates of the Soviet ICBM bases at plesetsk, or even copies of the photographs taken by US satellites.¡¨
o U-2 spy...
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