White House Situation Room: Cuban Missile Crisis

Transcription

1 White House Situation Room: Cuban Missile Crisis Background Guide Moody Middle School Model UN VI Naveen Logachandar: Co-Chair Ashish Vaidyanathan: Co-Chair Abhishek Kulkarni: Crisis Director Jalen Wang: Crisis Member Joshua Joshie Alexander: Crisis Member Kapil Iyer: Crisis Member

2 Hello fellow delegates, we would like to cordially invite you to the White House Situation Room during the Cuban Missile Crisis! This committee will involve teamwork, collaboration, and a multitude of interesting crises. Make sure to write your position paper and come to committee prepared to debate and have fun. The crisis team will work to create interesting and problematic crises for delegates to cooperate around and solve. These crises will come at random times in the committee and they will reflect what happens in committee. Even though this committee is set in the past, events do not have to occur based on what already happened. Delegates can carve a new path for the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The people involved in this committee include Ashish Vaidyanathan who has passions in math as well as current events. He participates in extracurricular such as tennis, Math Counts, and International Studies and he will be a committee chair. Naveen Logachandar is also a committee chair and his interests include basketball, violin, public speaking, and ecology club. The crisis members of this committee include Jalen Wang who is involved in tennis, International Studies, math, and band, and Joshua Alexander who enjoys basketball, soccer, and participates in TSA. Abhishek Kulkarni is a crisis member as well, he is interested in current events and more. Kapil Iyer is the last crisis member; he loves math and current events. If you have any question about this committee, your role, or how to write a position paper, do not hesitate to contact our committee chairs at the s below. hcps-logachann@henricostudents.org or logachandar.naveen@gmail.com or hcps-vaidyanaa@henricostudents.org

3 Committee Background On February 1945, the Yalta Conference was the second wartime meeting of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (World War II IDH). During the conference, the three leaders agreed to demand Germany s unconditional surrender and began plans for a post-war world. During the conference, the deliberative agreements were made, outlining the entering of the Asian War by Stalin. These agreements have become controversial over the years, as the secret revelations of the conference describing the Soviet-American wartime operation while it degenerated into the Cold War (World War II). Although the United States and the Soviet Union fought together on the same side during World War II, the relationship between the two nations were tense. Americans had long been wary of the tyrannical Soviet communism. For their part, the Soviets resented America's decades-long refusal to treat the USSR as a legitimate part of the international community. Postwar, these grievances ripened into an overwhelming sense of mutual distrust and enmity, while postwar Soviet expansion in East Europe fueled America's fear of a potential Russian plan to control the world (Randolph). In 1950, a National Security Council Report known as NSC 68 had echoed Truman s recommendation that the country must use military force to contain communist expansionism anywhere it seemed to be occurring (Randolph). To that end, the report called for a four-fold increase in defense spending. In particular, American officials encouraged the development of atomic weapons like the ones that had ended

4 World War II. Thus began a deadly arms race," prompting each country to create a stronger bomb than the other (Cold War). Fidel Castro, the prime-minister of Cuba, soon aligned himself and Cuba with the Soviet Union. Cuba was an ideal location for Soviet missiles as Cuba is only 90 miles away from the US coastline and small, meaning that medium range missiles placed on the Island would be able to penetrate deep inside US territory. There was also further interests including the security of Soviet hold on Berlin for communism. These nuclear missiles had the power to destroy and kill miles upon miles worth of structure and people. Out of pure paranoia of these missiles power, the tension grew even more between the Soviet Union and the United States, prompting the U.S. attempt to overthrow the Castro regime in Cuba with an operation that would be soon named "The Bay of Pigs" invasion (Cold War IDH). Overall, the crisis was unique in a number of ways, featuring calculations and miscalculations as well as direct and secret communications and miscommunications between the two sides. The dramatic crisis was most characterized by the fact that it was primarily played out at the White House and the Kremlin level with relatively little input from the respective bureaucracies typically involved in the foreign policy process.

5 Topic 1 (Planning the Bay of Pigs Invasion) Background World War II left almost all countries involved in a state of need and desperation (Kesternich, Siflinger and Smith). Two global economic superpowers raised to power: The United States of America and the Soviet Union. The relations between the two countries have been increasing at a rapid rate (Kesternich, Siflinger and Smith). In 1959 a young Cuban Nationalist named Fidel Castro seized control of Cuba and became their prime minister (Hoar). Ever since this event, the United States Government has been trying to push Castro out of office as he is seen as a threat to the United States. His attacks on U.S. companies and his ties to the Soviet Union as well as his inappropriate rhetoric towards America causes the United States Government to become wary of his actions (Hoar). President Dwight D. Eisenhower informed the Central Intelligence Agency that an invasion of Cuba must be formatted and planned out (Central Intelligence Agency). This action is one of his last orders in office. President John F. Kennedy must execute the plan that the C.I.A. and President Eisenhower put in place. The C.I.A. has to plan the invasion ahead of April. This gives delegates approximately two months (two hours in committee time) to plan the Bay of Pigs invasion. Delegates should communicate on how to execute the invasion and when it should take place as tensions are rising between the United States and Cuba.

6 What Is Happening Now President Dwight D. Eisenhower has called the members of the White House Situation Room to discuss the invasion plans for the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The members of the White House Situation Room must collaborate to form a successful invasion. One requirement that President Eisenhower enforces is that the invasion should not tie back to the United States Government (Central Intelligence Agency). This means that an invasion based off scenarios such as an uprising or a revolution are preferred. Each delegate should talk about what they can contribute to the invasion and how to make it as efficient and effective as possible. A decision needs to be passed quickly however, as the longer it takes, the more the situation worsens. Questions to Consider 1. What can you contribute to the invasion and how will it benefit the invasion plan as a whole? 2. What will the resources that you are contributing cost the U.S. government? 3. What ideas or plans can you create that will benefit the U.S. and your position? 4. What agencies or positions can you collaborate with to create a better invasion? 5. How do you think the Soviet Union will respond to the invasion.

7 Topic 2 (Response American-Soviet Relations in Cuba) Background Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, as well as the entire United States was completely against the concepts of communism. With the Soviet Union a pure communist nation, the United States is faced with a important decision in how to handle its relationship with the Soviet Union and Cuba. Since Fidel Castro has aligned himself with the Soviet Union, any wrong step could lead to disastrous circumstances. The United States Government wants to get rid of communism in both the Soviet Union and Cuba. Harry Truman once declared I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures (Lillian Goldman Law Library). The United States is fully supportive of destroying the concept of communism, but it is necessary for the country to project their superiority over the other nations in this case. Based on actions of the Soviet Union the United States is pressured to make a response, and the longer it takes for the situation room to think of a response to the situation the Soviet Union might make rash decisions that would jeopardize relations and could end in a disastrous nuclear war. Nuclear weapons is a new type of technology that is capable of dispatching entire cities with one strike. With weapons already in place for the United States and with the Soviets developing stronger and more efficient weapons, an impending war is ominous. While the United States does have nuclear weapons stationed in Turkey, they need approval for Turkish air authority

8 to initiate a launch (Stein, 2012). Also weapons were placed in 1959 in turkey and as a result are slightly outdated and less powerful than those of the Soviets (Stein). What is Happening Now The Soviet Union has placed nuclear weapons in Cuba against the United States desire. They have placed the missiles in medium range from the United States. This means that if medium-long distance missiles could provide significant nuclear payloads to the United States. The Soviet Union has made an offer to the United States. The offer states that the USSR will remove the missiles from Cuba if the U.S. Government promises to never invade Cuba again (Watson).The White House Situation Room must discuss whether or not to accept the offer and what outcomes it could bring for the state of the world as a whole. Questions to Consider: 1. What is the best option to for the offer proposed? 2. What negotiation techniques should be used to prevent a nuclear strike? 3. If the White House chooses to refuse the offer, what should be done in Cuba? 4. What methods should be used to encourage the USSR to get rid of their missiles in Cuba?

9 Works Cited (Background Guide) Central Intelligence Agency. 18 April March "Cold War." HISTORY. A&E Television Networks, Web. 17 Mar "Cold War IDH." HISTORY. A&E Television Networks, Web. 17 Mar Hoar, William P. Fidel Castro's Climb To Power. n.d. 16 March Kesternich, Iris, et al. The Effects of World War II on Economic and Health Outcomes Across Europe. 1 March March Lillian Goldman Law Library. Truman Doctrine March Randolph, Stephen. " The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962." Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs. United States Department of State, n.d. Web. 17 Mar Stein, Aaron. Turkey Wonk: Nuclear and Political Musings in Turkey and Beyond. 4 November March Watson, Jerilyn. American History: The Cold War. 21 September March "World War II." HISTORY. A&E Television Networks, Web. 17 Mar "World War II IDH." HISTORY. A&E Television Networks, Web. 17 Mar

10 How to Write a Position Paper Why do we need position papers? The point of position papers is to show that you understand your topics as well as your stances on the issues. By writing a position paper you are demonstrating your knowledge of the topics while also helping the committee chairs understand what you want to achieve in your time in committee. Also, your paper will help you with research and prepare you for the conference. A good position paper should have Section 1 Introduction: A short introduction to your position and their history with the topic and committee. Keep this section brief, about 3-4 sentences. Section 2 & 3 Topics: This section should be split into two parts: your first topic and your second. This section should include answers to the questions to consider stated in the background guide and should also include the following: How the issue affects your person/position; Statistics to back up your position on the issue; Actions taken by your person with regard to the issue; Resolutions that your person has been a part of or has supported or opposed; What your person believes should be done to address the issue; What your person would like to accomplish in the committee's resolution; and How the positions of other people affect your person/position For a position paper you do not need a conclusion paragraph or section. You also do not need a transition sentence from background to topic 1 or topic 1 to topic 2. Get straight into your topics and research. Remember to use reliable sources in your work so that you can present straight out facts instead of opinions and lies. Also have a works cited page at the very end of your position paper. If you have any questions on how to write a position paper contact your chairs.

11 Formatting: 12 pt. Times New Roman or Arial font Black ink 1 margins REMEMBER: Citations (MLA + in-text) Heading should include Your Full Name Full School Name Committee Person/Position On the next page, there will be a sample position paper. The sample position paper will be written by the point of view of the Attorney General, this is not a real delegate position in committee. Notice how this sample position paper answers all the questions to answer and how it reflects the background guide. Do not copy this position paper ; use it for guidance and reference for your own position paper.

12 John Doe George H. Moody Middle School White House Sit Room- Cuban Missile Crisis Secretary of Marines Background I, Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy am the current attorney general under current president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I am committed towards the destruction of the idea of Communism. Being extremely familiar with my brother s ideas, current president John F. Kennedy, I am determined to rid Cuba of its nuclear medium range missiles from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Topic 1 Bay of Pigs Invasion As the Attorney General of the United States, I can benefit the invasions in many ways. I can discuss the legality or illegality of certain procedures in the invasion (United States Department of Justice). Also I have strong ties to the Justice System which means I can use my resources in the Justice System to help make the invasion efficient and effective. I can also pursue legal action against any Soviet spy on United States territory (United States Department of Justice). As the president s closest adviser, I can persuade the president as well. If he is not on board with an idea or proposition that has been introduced in the White House Situation Room (White). I can use my resources and family connections with the president to get him to carry out the actions and ideas proposed by the Situation Room (White).

13 Even though I am supposed to be addressing legal issues, the president has brought me closer to the foreign policy debate in the past months (White). I am his closest advisor and confidant and if I propose the ideas that are created from the White House Situation Room, then the president will have a higher chance of listening and following these ideas and propositions (JFK Library). A proposition that I have is to use the Justice System to our advantage. By creating an uprising situation to overthrow Castro, we can use laws and loopholes to benefit the invasion plan. Using the resources from our defense and intelligence agencies will be important to know what we are doing every step of the way. Since Cuba has aligned itself with the Soviet Union, the USSR will take action, but we must be ready to fight back with the strength of our armed forces. All of the resources that I can provide: trust, Justice connections, and persuasion cost little to no money which makes them cost effective for the United States government. Topic 2 - Response to American-Soviet Relations in Cuba The United States needs to be defiant but also needs to negotiate with the Soviet Union to prevent an impending Nuclear Strike. Since the Soviet Union has medium to long range missiles, if they are provoked they will be able to place a devastating strike on our mainland (Stein). The United States currently has weapons in Turkey incase of any aggravation. However, since we only have partially control of when we can launch the weapons, we need to use this method as a last resort. Since we are launching in Turkish air space, we need permission from them (Stein). This makes this option very hard to be effective.

14 In order to promote the negotiation of this crisis, we need to seem unwilling to strike a deal but threaten the dangers of an impending nuclear war. Using this technique I believe that we can successfully conduct negotiations without a war starting. If they seem to start the attack we must, however, agree with the terms of their agreement to protect the goals of our citizens. In the unfortunate case of a deal not getting done, the only solution that I believe we can even entertain is to fully attack Cuba in hopes of completely disabling the USSR s nuclear program located there. The possibility of an all-out nuclear war should be able to discourage the Soviet Union from attempting any more aggravation. This plan would be very effective in the case of refusing as well as accepting the Soviet Union s offer. We need to put some pressure on the country in order to completely discourage them from doing any of this type of risky behavior in the future.

15 Works Cited (Position Paper) JFK Library. n.d. 16 March Stein, Aaron. Turkey Wonk: Nuclear and Political Musings in Turkey and Beyond. 4 November March United States Department of Justice. September March White, Dr. Mark. American Diplomacy. September March 2017.

16 Role Description CIA Director FBI Director NSA Director Director of Homeland Security Director of the DIA Secretary of State Secretary of Defense Director of National Intelligence The CIA is a civilian intelligence agency tasked with gathering, analyzing, and interpreting national security information. The director of the CIA is able to lead the invasion plans for the Bay of Pigs Invasion, but also has to carry out the invasion. If the invasion fails, the CIA will be the center of the blame. The head of the FBI and is responsible for all operations that the organization conducts regarding its jobs. The director of the FBI is responsible for the major actions of this committee and is the one that should make the main decisions of the organization The director should know what is happening in this situation and the impact on the citizens of the country. The NSA is responsible for monitoring the global scene, and also being able to alert the US Government of possible threats and safety hazards that affect the United States. The Director of the NSA should be well informed on the relations between Cuba, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The director should also propose security improvements and policies to protect the US from the Soviet Union. The US department of Homeland Security is responsible for keeping US territory safe. The public safety is in the hands of the department of Homeland Security. The Director of Homeland Security should propose ideas to keep the US safe from outside threats and how to maximize security inside the borders. The DIA is an external government agency. This means that is more independent and is allowed to do its own thing. The Director of the DIA can cooperate with other agencies but is The Secretary of State is the head of the Department of State and is primarily concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary of State should propose solutions to US-Soviet relations as well as US-Cuba relations. The Secretary of Defense is the head of the Depertmant of Defense and is primarily focused on how to keep the US safe from outside threats. This position should focus on how to limit the threat of the Soviet Union. The Director of National Intelligence is a cabinet level position which is charged in overseeing the National Intelligence Program. This role should be thoroughly informed on the situation of the Cuban Missile Crisis and should propose solutions based on the intelligence they now

17 U.S. Intelligence Analyst Chairmen of Joint Chiefs of Staff Secretary of the Navy Representative of the National Security Council Secretary of the Army This position will need to understand the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States very well and should propose solutions to the relations between the two countries based on the tensions between them and the state of the relations between those countries. The chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest ranking military official in the United States. This position is an advisor to the president but also helps exercise the plans the White House Situation Room creates. This delegate should focus on how to utilize the US armed forces to the best possible outcome. The Secretary of the Navy is head of the department of the Navy (a military department in the Department of Defense of the United States of America). The Secretary of the Navy should propose how to use its resources such as aircraft carriers, US Vessels, and its jet fighters and how to maximize the potential of those resources. The NSC is the primary forum for the president to receive information concerning security and and foreign policy. The delegate should propose how to keep America safe from the Soviet Union and how to limit the threat that the USSR delivers. The Secretary of the Army is a senior civilian official within the Department of Defense of the United States of America with responsibility for everything related the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition, communications, and financial management. This position can lend his resources to the invasions plan or help with protecting the US from outside threats.