Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to re: Documentation.

My suspicions.
Bowser — (archived)

Since the US didn't know there were nukes there, they would have started with a massive air and maybe missile strike to take out command, communications, control and intelligence. It would have been designed to be overwhelming and there was nothing in Cuba to stop it.

Additionally, the proximity of Cuba to US Air Force bases would have been a force multiplier, and planes could have rearmed and taken off again quite rapidly. My guess is there would have been air traffic jams over anything resembling a target. For example, B-52s flying in from around the continent could even have flown a mission over Cuba before landing in Florida.

Next, they would have known the frequencies with which the Soviet military communicated, and jammed those.

If the US were successful, the Soviet commander would have been left blind, and on his own.

Guesses, of course, but not unreasonable I don't think.

Now, Krushchev might have gotten through to Nixon and told him about the nukes. That makes sense to me - those things were far more effective if they didn't have to be used. And the Soviets probably would have made their presence known as soon as they felt secure there.

One theory is that Kruschev staged the entire matter, with Oleg Penkovsky being a double agent and "blowing" them. The reality is that a routine overflight didn't reveal the missiles, they were reported by a mole in the Kremlin.

The payoff was what Krushchev wanted, a guarantee from the US to not invade Cuba. Freed up a lot of their resources.

Arf

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