Foreign policy between Russia and the United .
States has been problematic since the end of World War II.
In Germany, for example, Russia constructed the Berlin Wall.
separating East and West Berlin against the will of the .
United Nations. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, the .
two countries engaged in nuclear weapons testing in the .
atmosphere. 1The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an invasion of.
Cuba, sponsored by the CIA, which attempted to overthrow .
the "Castro Regime". It failed miserably.
This invasion gave the Soviets an excuse to begin.
shipping arms to Cuba in 1961. The Russian .
President(Premier) had given the order to send the equipment .
to start building nuclear weapons on the island of Cuba.
2The United States government knew that the arms were being .
shipped into Cuba, but they were not told that nuclear .
weapons were included in several of the suspicious crates .
that were photographed in some of the weekly reconnaissance .
runs over Cuba. Because of this, foreign policy with the .
Russians would never be the same.
On Oct. 16,when President Kennedy was alerted .
about the situation in Cuba he called together a meeting of .
several of the highest-ranking advisors of the NSC(National .
Security Council). This group became know as the Executive .
Committee or Excomm. At this meeting, many different .
courses of action were suggested. 3The military leaders, .
led by General Maxwell Taylor, were in favor of an airstrike .
and/or an invasion on Cuba in the next ten days, before the .
missiles were operational. This would have caused some form .
of retaliation from Krushchev, more than likely resulting in .
thermo-nuclear war. .
Others, including Attorney General Robert Kennedy .
and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, suggested a more.
"diplomatic"; possibly a naval blockade, or quarantine, of .
Cuba. This involved a wall of naval gunboats around the .
island and cutting it off from Russian shipments. All .
boats that were headed for Cuba would be boarded and .
