When the World Stood Still For 13 Days
… The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest humanity has come to the brink of nuclear warfare. If the blast had occurred, it would had left very little life and an atmosphere filled with radiation. There were many moments throughout the thirteen day ordeal that almost cut the metaphorical thread, but level heads, and pragmatic leadership lead to peaceful resolutions. One aspect of the Cuban Missile Crisis that is not touched on a lot is the disinformation that the governments portrayed toward their citizens.
When an event happens there are different stories and sides to what actually took place, and this also applies to the Cuban Missile Crisis. A common phrase is ‘’history is wrote by the winner,’’ this is not always true, however, some events throughout history are solely wrote by the winner. The Cuban Missile Crisis had no clear winner and because of this you can see many different versions of the story. However, the basic facts are that the missile crisis was a thirteen day political and military ordeal that involved the Soviets, Cubans, and the U.S. citizens. The crisis began by the North Americans attacking and trying to overthrow the Cuban dictatorship of Fidel Castro, at the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961.
Eventually, negations ensued and the three nations involved agreed upon mutual terms that would end the crisis. However, both the Cuba, Russia, and the U.S. misinformed their citizens about that agreed upon terms. The countries listed did not inform their citizens of the compromises that they made. One reason for this is to showcases national power, so that citizens do not lose faith in their government’s military ability. The United States, in particular, did not inform their citizens that they agreed to take the ballistic missiles out of Turkey and Italy. Russia, followed their lead and did not inform their citizens that they took the missiles out of Cuba. Both countries wanted their citizens to believe that they ‘won.’
The normal narrative of the events is that the U.S. and Russian governments were both power hungry and head strong, which is true, but both countries also excepted a certain level of pragmatism. This level-headedness consequently lead to the crisis ending in a peaceful way, however, neither country wants to showcases their ability to compromise. JFK was so adamantly against the American people knowing that the U.S. pulled missiles out of Italy and Turkey that he withheld this information to only a select few of his council. During this event and long after the governments involved continued to keep their citizens in the dark, which is not what a country should do. Their nationalistic beliefs kept the citizens from fully understanding the events that impacted them the most.
Both John F. Kennedy and the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev refused to allow their citizens to believe peace was gained through negations, rather than fear tactics. These agreements remained in the dark for a significant amount of time and the reason for this is that both countries’ leaders did not want to appear weak by their citizens. Because of this millions of citizens were misinformed and lead to believe peace was solved through military power, not diplomatic negotiations.
The misinformation that governments portray to their citizens is adamantly showcased throughout the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the events occurring after it. Governments misinform their citizens about certain events to illustrate an image and to further positive propaganda. It can be argued that disinformation is illegal and even unethical, and many scholars would agree. However, on the other side, it can be said that the role citizens play in world affairs is very little and that the impact of knowledge is meaningless unless it constitutes change as a result. The Cuban Missile Crisis, is a scenario that showcases disinformation across multiple countries and gives insight to how governments treat their citizens.
