The Cuban Missile Crisis Through Eyes of Soviet and American Generals

Event Details

Gen. William Smith describes the Cuban Missile Crisis from a military perspective. Gen. Smith explains how he and his Soviet counterpart Gen Gribkov, have each written their accounts of the Cuban missile crises. He gives a detailed lecture on his and his counterpart's role. He elaborates on the reasons the Soviets deployed missiles in Cuba, the role of Berlin during the crisis, and the problem of intelligence. During the questioning session the General answers queries relating to Soviet military politics, Soviet decision making, the dates of the crisis, American military response, lack of information to various American officials, scholarship on the Cuban missile crisis, Dean Acheson's role, the Bay of Pigs, and RFK's role during the crisis.