Manipulation of Information
The presence of missiles in Cuba did not change Soviet nuclear capabilities since they already had the capacity to attack the United States. According to a CIA National Intelligence Estimate, the Soviet Union was going to utilize the nuclear weapons in Cuba to demonstrate that the balance of power had shifted globally. (United States Central Intelligence Agency). Therefore, the presence of nuclear missiles in Cuba presented a political conflict for President Kennedy rather than a military conflict. After campaigning against Castro in the 1960 presidential election, he feared being seen as weak with regards to Cuba (Schwarz). This led Kennedy to take actions to prevent public criticism based on the fact that under …show more content…
Published after his assassination historians used it as the definitive source of information pertaining to the crisis due to the role of its author. However, there were many errors in the memoir that are now known due to more information being released about the crisis. Dr. Sheldon Stern, a JFK Library historian, states that Robert Kennedy manipulated the historical record in order to portray himself and his brother in a better light (33-34) in his 2012 book The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory, which delves into the flawed record set by the Kennedy administration. For example, according to Thirteen Days, there was not a chairman to conduct the Excomm meetings, as Robert Kennedy asserts that “Dean Rusk – who, as Secretary of State, might have assumed that position – has other responsibilities during this period of time and frequently could not attend our meetings” (36). However, Rusk attended all but one of the meetings during the crisis (Stern, 69), which shows that the memoir intentionally diminishes the role of Secretary Rusk. Moreover, according to Thirteen Days, Robert Kennedy states he was against an invasion of Cuba and that it would go against American foreign policy (30). However, the first reaction of Robert Kennedy to the presence of nuclear missiles in Cuba was to call for an invasion (Steel, 81). This would have led to a Soviet response and ultimately a nuclear war. This rash decision-making was not only omitted from the memoir, but Robert Kennedy altered it to show himself as being in favor of the peaceful solution that resolved the
The presence of missiles in Cuba did not change Soviet nuclear capabilities since they already had the capacity to attack the United States. According to a CIA National Intelligence Estimate, the Soviet Union was going to utilize the nuclear weapons in Cuba to demonstrate that the balance of power had shifted globally. (United States Central Intelligence Agency). Therefore, the presence of nuclear missiles in Cuba presented a political conflict for President Kennedy rather than a military conflict. After campaigning against Castro in the 1960 presidential election, he feared being seen as weak with regards to Cuba (Schwarz). This led Kennedy to take actions to prevent public criticism based on the fact that under …show more content…
Published after his assassination historians used it as the definitive source of information pertaining to the crisis due to the role of its author. However, there were many errors in the memoir that are now known due to more information being released about the crisis. Dr. Sheldon Stern, a JFK Library historian, states that Robert Kennedy manipulated the historical record in order to portray himself and his brother in a better light (33-34) in his 2012 book The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory, which delves into the flawed record set by the Kennedy administration. For example, according to Thirteen Days, there was not a chairman to conduct the Excomm meetings, as Robert Kennedy asserts that “Dean Rusk – who, as Secretary of State, might have assumed that position – has other responsibilities during this period of time and frequently could not attend our meetings” (36). However, Rusk attended all but one of the meetings during the crisis (Stern, 69), which shows that the memoir intentionally diminishes the role of Secretary Rusk. Moreover, according to Thirteen Days, Robert Kennedy states he was against an invasion of Cuba and that it would go against American foreign policy (30). However, the first reaction of Robert Kennedy to the presence of nuclear missiles in Cuba was to call for an invasion (Steel, 81). This would have led to a Soviet response and ultimately a nuclear war. This rash decision-making was not only omitted from the memoir, but Robert Kennedy altered it to show himself as being in favor of the peaceful solution that resolved the