IMPACT OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
ON US/SOVIET RELATIONS
Just over a month after the crisis began, on November 21, President Kennedy terminated the quarantine since Khrushchev finally withdrew the Soviet nuclear bombers from Cuba. On the 30th anniversary of the Crisis, it was revealed that Soviet mobile tactical weapons and in excess of 40 000 Soviet Troops were in Cuba, ready to be deployed in the event of an American invasion.
By the end of the 1960s the Soviet Union had achieved strategic parity with the Americans. In overall military capability, the United States could no longer be considered pre-eminent. So in matters of arms control, the USSR could now negotiate from positions of equality.
from the Cuban Missile Crisis, particularly after Khrushchev was relieved of his position as leader, there was a concerted effort on both parts for arms control, resulting in the signing of many bilateral agreements. the Cuban Missile Crisis highlighted the importance of a clear and direct system of communication between Moscow and Washington. During the crisis, the two leaders communicated with each other through letter writing, which proved to be a very slow form of communication, particularly in such a tense time. So, in 1963, an agreement was reached, the Hot-line Treaty, initially using teletype, telegraph and radio-telegraph communication links. Of course with the development of new technologies, these communication links have been upgraded.
At the recent 40th anniversary conference on the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was noted that "the lessons learned from the missile crisis might assist those of us who are interested in reducing the risk of nuclear catastrophe in the 21st century".