Week 4: Cuban Missile Crisis

2/6/15

This week in class we read up on numerous articles involving the uses of aerial photography for military purposes.  Last week we left off at the uses of balloons and airships in the civil war and then about 50 years later WWI arrives and need for aerial photographs increases dramatically.  Especially towards the end of the war, 10440 photos were being examined by Allied interpreters in just a week. In total 6 million prints were produced on the Western Front during the war. Both sides saw the advantage of having access to what the enemy's latest movements were, and what their bases looked like.  Therefore, with this knowledge the officers in command could strategize accordingly before taking action.  On the other side, the countries with under developed imaging techniques were practically marching blindly into battle. The time period in history that interests me the most where aerial imaging was crucial is the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Tension began to escalate in the late 1950s and early 1960s between Russia and the United States primarily over Cuba and Communism.  Due to the Monroe Doctrine, the U.S. used to have the final say over some of the relations and policies of Latin American nations.  However, Fidel Castro begins his way to fame during the Cuban revolution in the 1950s. In 1959 Castro successfully overthrows Batista and establishes a new government with himself as Prime Minister.  In 1960, Castro meets with Soviet leaders and signs the Soviet-Cuban trade agreement. Cuba's new relation with the Soviet Union did not sit well with the U.S.  Over the year the U.S. trains and supplies Cuban exiles so try and take Castro out of power. These attempts end in multiples failures and Castro envelopes himself and Cuba in the Safety net of the Soviets (Roberts).

October 14th, 1962 becomes one of the big moments in history for aerial imaging.  On that day a U-2 surveillance plane flew over Cuba and some of the photographs captures nuclear-capable missile installations (Roberts).  I thought this was pretty interesting so I found some of the aerial photos of Cuba's missile installation bases and I pasted some of the clearer and focused pictures below. The thing I have trouble comprehending is how the interpreters were able to accurately justify that the pictures showed nuclear-capable missile installations. Without labels on the images I would have no idea what was featured in the photographs.  It must have been even more difficult for the interpreters because not only were the photographs in black and white but they probably haven't had any previous knowledge of what nuclear missiles looked like in photographs because they were new to this time period.  These interpreters were extremely skilled so see from a different dimension and valuable to have in the intelligence sector of the military.






http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=94

http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/09.24.12.%20kokoshin%20cmc%20paper%20FINAL%20COMBINED.pdf

Roberts, Priscilla Mary. Cuban Missile Crisis: The Essential Reference Guide. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2012. Print.