Simulation: Cold War Crisis
OER PROJECT: WH 1200/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY COLD WAR CRISIS1Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Cold War Crisis”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/PurposeIn this activity, you’ll use your causation, contextualization, and claim-testing skills to solve a historical problem. By combining these skills, you’ll begin to understand how historiansandgovernment officials must think about causes and consequences tounderstand historical events andto solve real-world problems, some of which can be life threatening.ProcessPart 1: Reviewing Classified Information 1.Individually or in groups, review the “Top Secret” documents (you can access them online here, or your teacher may hand them out to you.) Your mission:Imagine it is 1962. You are United States government officials working with classified information. Your task is to determine what crisis is threatening the safety of the American people. Break open the seal on your Top Secret envelope, examine each document carefully for clues. Work with your group to piece together this Cold War emergency situation. You may be asked to explain the crisis to the Commander in Chief, so get your facts straight!2.Use the following questions to help you piece together the mystery crisis, determining the chronology and context. •Why was the United States alarmed by the Cuban Revolution of 1959? How did the United States respond to this revolution?
OER PROJECT: WH 1200/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY COLD WAR CRISIS2•What was the relationship between Cuba and the Soviet Union by 1962? How did they work together to defend Cuba from the American threat?•How did the United States learn of the Cuban-Soviet plans?3.Your teacher may have you or your group share out. Note: Before moving to Part 2 of this activity, you may find it helpful to review this information: Cold War Context.
OER PROJECT: WH 1200/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY COLD WAR CRISIS3Part 2: ExComm Advice1.Now that you understand the full context of the crisis, your group will act (and think) like a member of President Kennedy’s national security team, known as ExComm (Executive Committee of the National Security Council). Your job as ExComm is to outline a series of consequences (both good and bad) for a number of proposed options on how to respond to this threat. This top-secret mission is of the gravest concern. The security of the entire nation (all 186.5 million Americans) is resting in your hands.MEMORANDUMOCTOBER 16, 1962Mr. President, John F. KennedyCommander in ChiefThe White HouseATTENDEES:Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson Secretary of State, Dean Rusk Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamaraSecretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon Acorney General, Robert F. KennedyDirector of Central Intelligence Agency, John McConeUnder Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, George W. Ball Deputy Secretary of Defense, Roswell GilpatricAssistant Secretary of Defense, Paul NitzeChairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Maxwell D. Taylor Former Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Llewellyn ThompsonSpecial Counsel, Theodore SorensenSpecial Assistant to the President for Nafonal Security Affairs, McGeorge BundyFormer Secretary of State, Dean AchesonPURPOSE:
OER PROJECT: WH 1200/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY COLD WAR CRISIS4This meefng calls together the Execufve Commicee of the Nafonal Security Council, hereager referred to as ExComm, with the purpose of advising Commander in Chief, President John F. Kennedy, in the wisest course of acfon in the current Cuban-Soviet crisis with regard to the placement of missiles within range of the United States.Opfons in brief:The following recommendafons are on the table for deliberafon by this commicee. The Commander in Chief’s immediate expectafon is a full-scale evaluafon of the costs and benefits of each opfon. President Kennedy is due to address the nafon in six days’ fme; therefore, fme is of the essence.OpEon 1:Launch an immediate airstrike to destroy the missile sites, followed by a full-scale land invasion of Cuba.OpEon 2:Issue a blockade of Cuba to prevent any further imports from the USSR.OpEon 3:Bring the issue to the United Nafons for peaceful discussion.OpEon 4:Make a deal with the USSR requiring the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba in exchange for US removal of its missiles from Turkey.OpEon 5:Call for the use of nuclear weapons on Cuba and the Soviet Union.2.In your role as a member of ExComm, use the chart below to outline the benefits and risks of each of the options.Op#onPosi#ve consequences (benefits/advantages)Nega#ve consequences (costs/risks)1. A>ack Cuba
OER PROJECT: WH 1200/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY COLD WAR CRISIS5Op#onPosi#ve consequences (benefits/advantages)Nega#ve consequences (costs/risks)2. Blockade Cuba3. United Na#ons talks4. Make a deal to remove weapons
OER PROJECT: WH 1200/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY COLD WAR CRISIS6Op#onPosi#ve consequences (benefits/advantages)Nega#ve consequences (costs/risks)5. Use nuclear weaponsFinal choice: Which op(on do you choose to recommend?3.On the next page, write a brief on your choice for the president’s consideration. Your brief must include the following information:•State your position and explain the consequences of taking this action (both positive and negative consequences).•Two strong supporting reasons for the option you are proposing (why do the benefits, or positive consequences, outweigh the costs, or negative consequences?).•Acknowledgment that other ExComm members might choose another option or course of action, and for each of the options not chosen, you must provide refutation of that course of action. That is, you must provide counterclaims with evidence to back up your position and explain why the other option is not advisable.
OER PROJECT: WH 1200/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY COLD WAR CRISIS7ExecuEve CommiIee of the NaEonal Security CouncilPROPOSAL FOR THE PRESIDENTOCTOBER 1962Mr. President,As Commander in Chief you bear a profound responsibility to protect the American people and maintain your role as leader of the Free World. We have weighed the opfons before us to manage the current crisis between the United States and Cuba. Ager carefulconsiderafon, we respecjully propose that you: