Cuban Missile Crisis

1959: Fidel Castro and rebels overthrow pro-US dictator Fulgencio Batista US: trade and economic embargo on Cuba 1961: “Bay of Pigs” Invasion – Group of Cuban exiles land on Cuba – US supported – Aim: overthrow Castro g’ment – Failure – Encouraged Cuba to turn to USSR for support

October 1962 – US surveillance of Cuba: USSR installing offensive nuclear bases Direct threat to US security – JFK: naval and air blockade of Cuba – US forces and NORAD readied for war

Soviet Premier Khrushchev: refused to remove the missiles USSR armed forces put on alert Soviet ships sent towards Cuba Khrushchev agreed to dismantle missiles – US promise they wouldn’t invade Cuba

US-Cuba relations – Difficult – US tightened embargo – US restricted Americans from doing business with and visiting Cuba – Embargo still in effect today (although some restrictions have been eased)

Canada-US relations – US expected Canada’s unconditional support – Diefenbaker: UN send fact-finding mission to Cuba and verify US surveillance – Dief reluctant to draw Canada into major conflict – Canadian g’ment refused to place its NORAD forces on alert (at first) – G’ment didn’t allow US planes with nuclear bombs to land at Canadian bases – Americans furious – Dief: defending Canada’s independence 80% Canadians thought Dief was wrong – Canadian troops eventually put on alert – Damaged Canada-US relations

The Vietnam War

Affected the politics and society in US and Canada North Vietnam: communist South Vietnam: US supported dictator 1960’s: US started sending troops – 1966: 317,000 troops USSR and China: weapons and aid to North 1 st war recorded by TV cameras

My Lai Massacre (1968) – Massacre of Vietnamese children, women, and elderly by American troops in village of My Lai ( ) Tet Offensive (1968) – North attacking cities in the South

Many Americans started to question the war – Anti-war protests Canada’s reaction: – Canadians divided – More and more turn against Am. policy – Until 1968: most opponents students

Canadian reaction (cont.) – 1965: American draft resisters & deserters came to Canada US g’ment unhappy – Canadian g’ment tried to stay neutral Close relationship w/ US made it difficult – Some Canadian companies benefitted Sold goods – 1965: PM Pearson spoke out against Am. bombing Severely reprimanded by President Johnson

Vietnam War ends – 1969: Richard Nixon becomes US President Pledged to pull US troops out of Vietnam – 1972: Americans begins to withdraw – 1973: last American troops left – 1975: North Vietnamese military offensive crushed South Vietnamese army – Vietnam unified under communist rule 1000’s of Vietnamese accepted into Canada and become citizens