Simulation: Cold War Crisis
WORLD HISTORY PROJECTAP/ LESSON 8.2OPENERSIMULATION: COLD WAR CRISISUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Simulation: Cold War Crisis”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeBy now, you should be well versed in how to identify and categorize causes and consequences. In 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 historians, or in this case government officials, must think about causes and consequences in order to understand historical events or to solvereal-world problems, some of which can be life threatening.ProcessImagine it is 1962. You are United States government officials working with classified information. Your task is to determinewhat crisis is threatening the safety of the American people. Once you 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!Once everyone has finished determining the imminent threat to America’s safety, your group will act (and think) like a memberof President Kennedy’s national security team, known as ExComm (Executive Committee of the National Security Council).Your job as members of 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.Using the Cold War Crisis worksheet, read the proposed options on how to respond. Next, brainstorm with your ExComm team members about all of the consequences, both positive and negative, that could result from each option. You’ll list these consequences on the worksheet. Finally, as a group, come to a consensus (agreement) on which option to choose, and then write a brief for the president’s consideration.Your brief must include the following information:•Which option did you choose and what are 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 groups might choose another option or course of action, and for each of the options not chosen, youmust 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.Be prepared to share your brief along with your supporting evidence with the class. Your teacher may arrange a debate betweengroups or ask you to explain the consequences of this crisis.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 8.2OPENERSIMULATION: COLD WAR CRISIS2MEMORANDUMOCTOBER 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 Aaorney 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 Nadonal Security Affairs, McGeorge BundyFormer Secretary of State, Dean AchesonPURPOSE:This meedng calls together the Execudve Commiaee of the Nadonal Security Council, hereaeer referred to as ExComm, with the purpose of advising Commander in Chief, President John F. Kennedy, in the wisest course of acdon in the current Cuban-Soviet crisis with regard to the placement of missiles within range of the United States.Opdons in brief:The following recommendadons are on the table for deliberadon by this commiaee. The Commander in Chief’s immediate expectadon is a full-scale evaluadon of the costs and benefits of each opdon. President Kennedy is due to address the nadon in six days’ dme; therefore, dme is of the essence.Op/on 1:Launch an immediate airstrike to destroy the missile sites, followed by a full-scale land invasion of Cuba.Op/on 2:Issue a blockade of Cuba to prevent any further imports from the USSR.Op/on 3:Bring the issue to the United Nadons for peaceful discussion.Op/on 4:Make a deal with the USSR requiring the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba in exchange for US removal of its missilesfrom Turkey.Op/on 5:Call for the use of nuclear weapons on Cuba and the Soviet Union.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 8.2OPENERSIMULATION: COLD WAR CRISIS3Op/onPosi/ve Consequences (Benefits/Advantages)Nega/ve Consequences (Costs/Risks)1. AJack Cuba2. Blockade Cuba3. United Na/ons talks
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 8.2OPENERSIMULATION: COLD WAR CRISIS4Op/onPosi/ve Consequences (Benefits/Advantages)Nega/ve Consequences (Costs/Risks)4. Make a deal to remove weapons5. U/lize nuclear weapons
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 8.2OPENERSIMULATION: COLD WAR CRISIS5Execu/ve CommiJee of the Na/onal 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 opdons before us to manage the current crisis between the United States and Cuba. Aeer carefulconsideradon, we respecjully propose that you:In the space above:•State your posiJon and the consequences of taking this acJon (both posiJve and negaJve consequences).•Provide two strong supporJng reasons for the opJon you are proposing (why do the benefits, or posiJve consequences, outweigh the costs, or negaJve consequences?).•You should acknowledge that other groups might choose another opJon or course of acJon, and for each of the opJons not chosen, you must provide refutaJon of that course of acJon. That is, you must provide counterclaims with evidence to back up your posiJon and explain why the other opJon is not advisable.