What Role Did Britain Play in Kennedy’s Management of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

A few seconds, minutes, hours or event from a catastrophic destruction and elimination of millions of live around the world was what the Cuban missile crisis was during the last week of October in 1962. This is why it’s no wonder that the president of arguably the most powerful country at the time, had to react in a careful, swift and firm manner. John F. Kennedy’s management of the Cuban missile crises was extremely cautious yet firm. He wanted to reassure Russia and the world that he had no desire for war or any retaliatory force but he also wanted to make sure that the world, especially the USSR, knew that the United States would not back down from any threats and or forces that may be in the way of United States security. This is why during that last week of October, all the tensions that built up had come to an extreme facedown and only with the presence of God, luck and any other supernatural force was the world able to come out of this situation alive and put together. In looking at this nearly destructive week through the lens of Anglo-American relations, there are many ways this relationship helped add and subtract to the explosive situation. Many scholars would see the Cuban missile crises as a conflict that strictly involved The United States, Russia and Cuba but effected the entire world, but simultaneously many have argued when analyzed further, this global crises involved another behind the scenes key player: Britain. The special relationship between the United States and Britain bloomed during this time but was also heavily strain and exposed. Britain’s role however, during this crisis, as important as the relationship between the United States and Britain was during this time, was severely downplayed and marginalized by the United States for several reasons that will be discussed in this paper

When viewing Britain’s role in Kennedy’s management of the Cuban missile crises, it is important to understand why Britain would have a role in the first place. It is important to put under a microscope the relationship between the Britain and the United States at that time, as well as the leaders involved during the crises. The leaders during the time of this crises were John F. Kennedy, president of the United States, Harold Macmillan, U.K. Prime minister, Premier Nikita Khrushchev of Russia and Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Focusing on the relationship between Kennedy and Macmillan, it was a special time for these two men and countries. In terms of the countries, both the United States and Britain were in a special relationship that was established through like-minded policies and politics. During the early 1960’s Britain hoped to establish and grow itself as the United States first ally. It was extremely important as an up and coming superpower, that Britain distinguished itself from the NATO countries and other European countries in the eyes of the already established super-power in the United States Policies that