Today, I am thankful for those who save us from an escalating crisis, exhibiting grace under pressure.
In many ways, life on the planet Earth is relatively stable. Despite a human population now approaching 8 billion people, societies of Homo sapiens, now divided into 195 countries across the globe, have basically maintained accord with each another. Since June 1945, no major conflagration of human conflict analogous to a ‘world war’ has materialized. Sure, there have been notable conflicts, including the recent wars in Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq, and thousand of other smaller skirmishes. However, for the most part, the world’s population has managed to maintain global peace and civil composure, even in the face of notable crises.
We witnessed how the world has rallied to fight terrorism from radical groups seeking to upset the equilibrium. We’ve seen nations come together to fight societal threats, such as world hunger, global warming, and even viral pandemics. We’ve even seen some stability as it pertains to the management of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear armaments, poison gases, and other destructive devices. Successful crisis management requires one critical factor – rational diplomacy in a time of emotional escalation.
Never was the world on the brink of sheer destruction than in the two decades that followed the end of World War II. Following the Allied victory against Nazi Germany in 1945, ideological differences between two former Allies, the United States and the Soviet Union, led to a geopolitical crisis wherein both sides attempted to exert their power, influence, and even dominance on the world. With the technological advancement of nuclear fission and the creation of atomic bombs, as was witnessed with the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, a ‘Cold War’ ensued between the two major superpowers. As a Western bloc of nations led by the United States and Britain formed its own alliance through the North American Treaty Organization (NATO), the Soviet Union exerted its own control in Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, and, of course, a small island just 90 miles off the coast of Florida – Cuba.
In 1961, the failed ‘Bay of Pigs’ Cuban invasion and the American buildup of ballistic missiles in Turkey and Italy escalated the tensions of the Cold War. Fearing a threat that the United States would once again attempt to invade the Communist island nation in the Caribbean, Cuban and Soviet leaders, Fidel Castro and Nikita Khrushchev, secretly agreed to place nuclear missiles on Cuba to serve as a future deterrent against American influence. In a clandestine operation, the Soviet Union commenced the construction of missile launch facilities in the summer of 1962.
After U-2 spy planes provided indisputable photographic evidence of the covert operation, President John F. Kennedy informed the US public in October 1962 of the impending threat and called upon Khrushchev to halt their production and abandon the ‘perilous arms race.’ After considering its options, the US established a naval blockade on October 22, overtly signaling to the Soviet Union of their attempt to prohibit the delivery of nuclear missiles to Cuba. Over the course of the next 5 days, the tensions escalated as secret messages were exchanged between the two sides. Eventually, as negotiations ensued, a compromise was emerging. By October 26, a peaceful resolution was nearing between leaders in Moscow and Washington DC.
Nevertheless, the naval arsenal of the Soviet Union pressed on towards Cuba. On this day (Oct 27), the US radar spotted a B-59 Soviet submarine seeking to advance its way through the blockage. Unaware the submarine contained a nuclear-tipped torpedo, the US fired explosives around the submarine in an effort to force its surface to the water’s edge. Now, the depth of the submarine prohibited the Soviets within from having communication with Moscow to know that a peace agreement was nearing. As the Soviet submarine commanders felt the explosions rock the hull of their vessel back and forth, the three leaders on the submarine decided their course of action. Exhausted, scared, and under perceived threat of atack, two of the 3 senior officials believed war had already begun and opted to prepare the nuclear torpedo to fire upon the USS Randolf aircraft carrier. However, the protocol mandated that a unanimous decision was needed from all three leaders to launch the missile.
The third official, Visili Arkipov, was not convinced. He quickly surmised that the explosives fired by the US were intentionally missing the submarine, signaling to them to rise to the surface and be accounted for. Without any official orders from Moscow in hand to attack, he vehemently refused to grant his consent and suggested they surface to contact Moscow to determine next steps. As the sub emerged to the water’s edge, the US forces allowed the sub to retreat, after contact from Moscow informed the B-59 to turn around and head home.
Nuclear attack was averted because one man maintained his poise, despite a stressful situation. Arkipov’s exhibition of grace under pressure avoided an unnecessary escalation that could have rapidly deteriorated into nuclear war. Sometimes, when faced with a crisis, we need to heed the advice of those who allow rational thought to supersede emotion.
The next time you stand at the crossroads of a distressful predicament or a complex dilemma, remember to let your brain, not your heart, lead the way.
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