ABSTRACT

This chapter explains the differences in opinion between the Soviet Union and Cuba concerning the secrecy of the operation, known as Anadyr, and the fact that the Soviet opinion to keep the military agreement and the deployment of Soviet troops in Cuba secret had grave consequences when the nuclear missile installations were discovered by the United States. The Cuban leaders realized the difficulty implicit in trying to cover up such a large troop movement, and they wanted to make the military agreement public, given that there was nothing illegal in it. However, they held the view that the Soviets should make the final decision, because they considered them more experienced in international and military affairs. Soviet denials of the deployment of missiles in Cuba, at a time when U.S. reconnaissance had confirmed their existence, were the arguments used by the United States to justify in the eyes of world public opinion and its allies what was unjustifiable: the blockade against Cuba in October. Later, the United States tried to propose before the world that the major cause of the crisis had been the Soviet missiles in Cuba, relegating to the last position what was actually the main issue: its aggressive policy against the Cuban Revolution.