Cuban Missile Crisis: an Interview - Essay Example

Final Paper For my final project, I interviewed my grandmother Mrs. Williams about the Cuban Missile Crisis and its implications on the life of ordinary Americans. She was very pleased to narrate her experiences in the same and, I consider the interview a revelation for my generation. According to her own version of the story, the Cuban missile crisis transformed her life to a point of no return. She claims that was it not for the event her life would have been different. How did the events unfold? Mrs. Williams: My husband failed to secure a transfer to NSA Mid-South, having worked in the US navy for nearly fifteen years. We had always waited for the moment when we would return to the US and make our lives once more. Having lived in Japan for four years, life was not getting better for us. Everything was so strange from the foods to the complex Japanese language and culture. My husband served in the navy during the time of JF Kennedy. You had to get used to typhoons and earthquakes, otherwise there was no any other way of making it while in Japan. Now tell me what the cold war means to you Mrs. Williams: The cold war was a real threat to the US and the entire world. We were always scared of what would happen if the Russians decided to invade the US. I began hearing news about cold war in 1957 while still living in Japan and for me I felt as if I was a part of the crisis. My husband did not come home regularly and we could stay up to two months without having seen each other. I was really suffering and my children kept asking me about their father. In those days we did not have mobile phones, we could only send letters, which took a long time. When my husband came back home in April 1961, I asked him if I could move back to Illinois and he accepted. When you got back to the US what were your experience? How did people talk about nuclear weapons and the ongoing crisis? Back at our home in St. Louis, I tried as much as possible to isolate myself from politics and the crisis. However, I found myself being drawn on to the events. There were all types of rumors and facts about nuclear weapons and war and only the deaf and the blind were spared. Some rumors claimed that a one Russian nuclear warhead was capable of sinking the whole continent and it was becoming popular day by day. For me I was not scared of nukes only, that I was a little bit skeptical on how the government would handle the crisis. Although my husband served in the army, he never told us anything about wars and weapons. Therefore, most of my knowledge on weapons and warfare was acquired through private studies and research. The whole country was like a war zone and most Americans were for the war. In fact, some said that they would volunteer in the army if they were required to do so. I never discussed the issue in public unless requested to do so. However, I could not hide the truth from my children who were so curious. Did you believe the Russians were America’s emery? How were they portrayed? Mrs. Williams: News of the time made them scary people and we believed it. We were made to believe that Russians were our enemies. They were bad and evil people who wanted to destroy the US and capitalism. The enemy was hated and feared at the same time. For me I did not believe in the propaganda. Having lived in Japan for nearly, four years I knew that all humans were equal besides our physical and ideological differences. I also viewed the Russians as innocent victims of an unforgiving ideology. There was a significant disparity among Americans concerning their views on the cold war and Russia. However, most Americans had radical beliefs about USSR and communism. How did the crisis affect you as a mother and a woman? Mrs. Williams: Of course, the crisis did more harm than good. Being a mother of three children, I was required to explain the situation that was affecting the country. I do not regret much though, since the consequences of the Cuban missile crisis made me responsible and independent. My husband remained in the Sea of Japan for a better part of the year and he never came home. His absence gave me a sense of responsibility and I learnt many things. I relocated three times before I settled in Boston. Part of the relocation was a government’s requirements for what was seen as a strategy to protect the families of people serving in the military. Therefore, every time that we moved to a new house I had to look for a new school for my children. All this time my husband was away and I had to do it alone. I also learnt to be a jack of all trades. Changing a flat tire, fixing a light bulb, or repairing a wash machine was never a big deal for me. Whom do you admire most? Alternatively, who do you view as a cold war hero? Mrs. Williams: The contributions of JF Kennedy and President Roosevelt cannot be overlooked. Kennedy was a charismatic man and I admire his courage and determination (Matthews Web). I saw him in Boston while he was campaigning for presidency and he gave an excellent speech. Kennedy is a true hero. If it were not for his wisdom and effort, the world would have entered into a nuclear war. He imposed a blockade on Cuba, which halted Russian advances. The blockade proved to the Russians that America was ready to defend its territory. Otherwise, the crisis would have spilled over beyond our capabilities. Khrushchev sent Kennedy two letters that had conflicting demands. The first letter required America to drop its threats against Cuba in exchange for Russian missile withdrawal (George 45). The second letter stated that America had missile installations in turkey and, therefore Russia had rights to built missile installations in Cuba. In his wisdom, Kennedy decided to respond to the first letter and he commanded the withdrawal of Russian missiles in turkey. This response shifted the missile crisis from a confrontation into a diplomatic resolution. Do you have any regrets, disappointments, or unfulfilled ambitions? Mrs. Williams: No, I do not regret anything. You become what you go through in life. The missile crisis was a big lesson for Americans and the entire world. The events that followed the withdrawal of Russian missile at the Cuban Island and US missile in Turkey changed our view towards war (Frankel 78). I believe that people respect each other more than they did before the missile crisis. Was it not for t he crisis, we would be living with fears of war. The event was a giant leap for America’s stability and prosperity. I raised my children during the height of the cold war and I made it. The only thing that I regret is raising my son without his father. My son Ian loved his farther and he always had nightmares while his father was away. He always requested me to take him to his father. Sometimes I was forced to lie that his father would come home the following week. Works Cited Frankel, Max. High Noon in the Cold War: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Ballantine Books, 2004. George, Alice. Awaiting Armageddon: How Americans Faced the Cuban Missile Crisis. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2003. Matthews, Joe "Cuban missile crisis: The other, secret one". BBC. Web. October 2012 Read More