The Cuban Missile Crisis

An Analysis of Soviet Calculations and Behavior

Arnold L. Horelick

ResearchPublished 1963

An analysis of Soviet political and strategic calculations and behavior in the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962. The analysis centers on (1) Soviet objectives in deploying strategic weapons in Cuba; (2) the considerations that may have led the Soviet leaders to believe they could succeed; and (3) the reasons for their precipitate withdrawal of the weapons. Prime importance is attached to the role of the U.S.-Soviet strategic balance, both in determining the objectives pursued by the Soviet Union in Cuba, and in bringing about the crisis outcome.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1963
  • Pages: 78
  • Document Number: RM-3779-PR

Citation

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Horelick, Arnold L., The Cuban Missile Crisis: An Analysis of Soviet Calculations and Behavior. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1963. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_memoranda/RM3779.html.
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