Alternate ends to the Cuban Missile Crisis? Alternate Starts?

Well, I have this account so I might as well make use of it. I'm reading Red Storm Rising for the first time right now, so that's put me in a distinctly Communist mood.

The Cuban Missile Crisis, we all know, ended with the Soviet Union publically removing the missiles and bombers and so on that it was building/already had in Cuba, in exchange for the USA publically promising to never invade Cuba, and secretly agreeing to dismantle and remove its Thors and Jupiters in Italy and Turkey.

Now having perused Cracked.com an awful lot, I can't say that this was the closest that we've ever come to WWIII, but it certainly was damn close, that's for sure. Nuclear or non-nuclear, it would have been a war, and that would not have been fun for anybody.

But what I'm wondering about is alternate peaceful resolutions, as well as an alternate start and what that would have done.

Alternate Start
On October 14, 1962, a United States Air Force U-2 plane on a photoreconnaissance mission captured photographic proof of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba.

What if it hadn't? What if the Soviet Maskirovka was a success? Specifically, what if, by the time the United States learned about the missiles and bombers being built in Cuba, the facilities were already complete? I admit I don't know exactly how many bombers and bases, etc., Khrushchev intended to put in Cuba, but let's say that everyting is, like, 95%+ done. Cuba is on-line and can launch whenever orders from Moscow come in.

Alternate Ends
To the main timeline, not the possibility posted above. I'm interested in two:

Scenario 1. The Turkey/Italy missile removal isn't secret.

Scenario 2. The US backs down from the blockade rather than risking nuclear war. Cuba goes on-line as essentially Khrushchev's counterpoint for Italy and Turkey (this is probably extraordinarily unlikely, but I'm interested).

So...um, yeah. Thoughts?
 
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I think that the Turkish Missiles NOT being kept secret is more likely than the US blockading cuba as the US would more than likely prefer to lose face than the enemy gaining an advantage
 
I think that the Turkish Missiles NOT being kept secret is more likely than the US blockading cuba as the US would more than likely prefer to lose face than the enemy gaining an advantage

Well, yes, I know. I'm just interested in the fallout of the two potential alternate ends (they're distinct scenarios, not steps in sequence, sorry if that was unclear)
 
I don't think it would be possible that US misses to notice the missiles. US expected Soviets to do something in Cuba. If one recon flight doesn't catch the signs of missiles, the other would. Soviets are not trying to hide needles. Those are missiles ten or more meters long. The missiles are not silo based, but needed erector launcher to launch them. At some point, the EDIT: preparations are going to be noticed well before the missiles approach anywhere near operational, there is no hiding it.
 
I don't think it would be possible that US misses to notice the missiles. US expected Soviets to do something in Cuba. If one recon flight doesn't catch the signs of missiles, the other would. Soviets are not trying to hide needles. Those are missiles ten or more meters long. The missiles are not silo based, but needed erector launcher to launch them. At some point they are going to be noticed, there is no hiding it.

Well, yes, but let's say that the silos, etc., are essentially finished, and the Soviets could launch their missiles from Cuba at any time.
 
Well, yes, but let's say that the silos, etc., are essentially finished, and the Soviets could launch their missiles from Cuba at any time.

But that is exactly the point. The ground works are pretty much impossible to hide and are pretty much impossible to confuse for anything else.

But, on the off chance the Soviets pull off such a coup, then WW3 becomes much more probable. I don't think anyone would be offering much moderate advises to JFK. And LeMay would gain many Allies in the National Security Council.
 
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