But the fact is, America did not like having a Soviet threat so close to home, and were determined to find a solution to this conflict that suited their desires. As for Russia, they were willing to remove their missiles from Cuba, as long as America removed hers from Turkey. But Kennedy did not see his weapons in Turkey posing any threat. He refused Khruschev's offer, reiterating his initial demand for Russia to remove their weapons from Cuba. Kennedy sent 180 Navy ships towards Cuba, and warned the nation of this "extraordinary build-up of Communist missiles" (Doc K). Behind the scenes, however, both men entered into negotiations and finally settled on a peaceful contract. The crisis dissolved, but not without leaving a lasting impact on the world, not just those countries involved.
From the beginning, the Cuban Missile Crisis was a power struggle between Kennedy and Khruschev. As tensions arose between America and the Soviet, each felt the need to test the others resolve. Khruschev knew that Cuba was like a pressure point of the United States. Kennedy had already stated that "Latin America" was as "essential" to the security of the U.S. "as Southeast Asia"(Doc C), and that their "attitude of nonintervention would change overnight" (Doc C) should any Communist threat arise. Kruschev needed to know just how serious Kennedy was, and thus missile sites began appearing in Cuba. Kennedy called it a "violation of Soviet assurances" (Doc K) and a "change" which could not be accepted (Doc K). But in their plight to gain foreign support against Russia, American leaders continued with proud demands, rather than appeals. For example, when "informing" (Doc I) France of the situation, Dean Acheson, an American, got this reply from Charles de Gaulle: "France will support [Kennedy]. However, let the record show that we (the French) are being informed but never consulted in such an issue of so great importance to the whole world" (Doc I).