Why did Khrushchev put missiles in Cuba?

Question	Answer
Close the missile gap	Khrushchev wanted to produce more nuclear warheads and close the 'missile gap' between USA and USSR.
Retaliation	USA had already put missiles in Western Europe and Turkey, in range of USSR, which USA was oblivious to. Khrushchev placing missiles in Cuba would regain balance.
Had more medium-range missiles	The USSR had more cheap, medium-range missiles than USA so Cuba was an ideal location to place them.
Bargaining Power	Soviet missiles in Cuba would give Khrushchev leverage against the USA.
Defend Castro	Khrushchev wanted to defend Castro as Cuba was the only Communist country in the western hemisphere and had just survived the Bay of Pigs Disaster.
Propaganda Victory	Khrushchev wanted to strengthen his political power in the USSR. Missiles on Cuba would be seen as a major propaganda victory over the USA.

Resource summary

	Created by sagar.joban over 11 years ago