Thirteen Days free essay sample

Thirteen Days, a semi-bibliography of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the steps the American Government took to avoid a nuclear war. In 1962 Fidel Castro agreed to the placing of nuclear missiles belonging to the Soviets in Cuba. All placing of these missiles was done in secrecy, however on October 14th an American U2 plane took photographs of the missile site and the American Government was immediately informed. Thirteen Days follows the perspective of three main characters; Kenny O’Donnell the Presidents assistant, Robert Kennedy the President’s brother and Attorney General and John F. Kennedy. During the first 24 hours of the crisis most of the Government officials were prepared to invade Cuba right away. On October 17th the idea for a naval blockade of Cuba emerged and soon most officials agreed. However a blockade is an official act of war so America called the blockade a quarantine to prevent The Soviets thinking they were at war. We will write a custom essay sample on Thirteen Days or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The quarantine would mean that American naval ships would form a circle around Cuba and prevent any ships carrying military equipment from reaching the island until the equipment was removed. John F. Kennedy’s decision to avoid armed conflict and form quarantine around Cuba was the right decision to make as this would stop a nuclear war, protect the moral integrity of America and give the Soviets an opportunity to back down. â€Å"The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The United States armed forces were at their highest state of readiness ever and Soviet field commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield nuclear weapons to defend the island if it was invaded1. † The decision to form quarantine around Cuba would prevent a nuclear war from breaking out and would save the lives of thousands of innocent people. This quarantine would prevent a nuclear war not only between America and the U. S. S. R but would prevent any conflict between any Capitalist and Communist countries. As shown in the movie the main reason for the quarantine was to stop any chance of a nuclear war. The American Government wanted to prevent any chance to stop tensions with the Soviets. As shown in the movie O’Donnell and Robert Kennedy both try to find any way to help protect the American people. Also shown in the movie John F. Kennedy knew from protests that the American people wanted quarantine over a war. ‘By the third day, 18 October, another option had come to the fore. The under secretary of state, George Ball, had commented that a US surprise attack on Cuba would be â€Å" like Pearl Harbor. Its the kind of conduct that one might expect of the Soviet Union. It is not conduct that one expects of the United States2. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Apart from wanting to prevent a nuclear war, the President of the United States also wanted to protect their moral integrity. The Government was unwilling to attack another country without warning. The Government didn’t want to ruin the position America had in the world and didn’t want to compromise the way the world viewed them and the decisions they made to protect their country. O’Donnell was President Kennedy’s appointment secretary but throughout the film showed he was a long time aid and trusted political hand. O’Donnell did everything in his power to prevent President Kennedy from making a misguided decision. It is show in the film the lengths O’Donnell goes through to protect the President and find a diplomatic solution to protect America’s integrity. Through Thirteen Days Nikita Khrushchev was an obstacle President Kennedy and his officials had to face. As shown in the movie the American Government was not sure how Khrushchev was going to respond to the quarantine. However both the U. S and the U. S. S. R were both not willing to start a nuclear war. As shown in the film when Khrushchev sends the first letter to President Kennedy, it shows how both leaders were trying to find a peaceful solution to the tensions caused. America wanted to give the U. S. S. R a chance to back down and remove the missiles from Cuba without any armed confrontation. Through negotiations as shown in the film ‘ both superpowers recognised the devastating possibility of a nuclear war and publicly agreed to a deal in which the Soviets would dismantle the weapon sites in exchange for a pledge from the United States not to invade Cuba 3’ The film Thirteen Days a semi-bibliography of the Cuban Missile Crisis, show the way the American government dealt with the crisis and how they decided to protect their nation. President Kennedy’s decision for a naval quarantine was the right decision as it stopped a nuclear war, prevented any countries to view America as a coward and showed the world how they were still willing to give the Soviets a chance to back down even of the tensions between the superpowers.