KING'S GAMBIT DECLINED
“A warrior is worthless unless he rises above others and stands strong in the midst of a storm.”-Hagakure
On October 14, 1962, the world teetered on the brink of destruction when a U2 spy plane spotted Russian interim medium range ballistic missiles stationed in Cuba. Such a provocation meant an almost certain escalation in Cold War tensions from the US. The act was even more bewildering due to the fact that the Soviet Union had not achieved missile parity with the United States. The Soviet Union had only 10 ICBMs and fewer than 300 nuclear weapons compared to the US's 5,000 nuclear warheads and 2,000 ICBMS. The Soviets were using Cuba as a pawn in a chess game of one upsmanship for the US provocation of Jupiter missiles stationed in Turkey, aimed at Moscow.
The Cubans were simply a prop so that Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev could rub his balls in the face of the US for unresolved slights suffered by the Kremlin in the eyes of nations in the Eastern Communist Bloc. It also served the purpose of deterring the US from invading Cuba as it was now in the fold of socialist countries aligned with the Soviet Union. But. more importantly, it also placated Soviet hardliners who favored a more aggressive stance against displays of western nuclear intimidation.
Unbeknownst to Kruschev, the gamble backfired when the Joint Chiefs of Staff proposed a surgical airstrike to remove the missiles followed by an all out invasion of Cuba. One General in particular, Curtis Lemay, confident in US military superiority, favored an all out nuclear war in spite of the spectre of the largest body count in human history. The situation was made all the more critical because in the political machinations of the Kennedy Administration, the continued presence of the missiles in Cuba would weaken US prominence in the eyes of the 3rd world. Something had to be done. If he failed to act, he feared that his generals would overthrow him and seize power.
His solution? A naval blockade of the country. But as time passed, the Soviets seemed to gain more and more ground. Kennedy was sacrificing space to gain time. The Military went from DEFCOM 3 to DEFCOM 2 as fighter jets sped toward the Soviet Union for possible counter-attack. The Apocalyptic prophesies of Revelations were at hand as many Americans underwent forced conversions accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior for fear of their souls final destination.
Facing the threat of extinction, The Russian Bear stared into the darkness of the abyss and blinked. Kruschev made a last ditch effort at salvation by proposing to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba in exchange for a promise not to invade Cuba, as well as, the removal of Jupiter missiles from Turkey. But what happened next pushed mankind even further toward a nuclear holocaust.
A Russian submarine was under attack by the USS Randolph while attempting to protect Russian ships in Cuban waters. The aircraft carrier unleashed depth chargers against the submarine pushing it down to dangerously close reduced oxygen levels. The Captain of the Randolph was unaware that the submarine he was bombing contained nuclear warheads. As the men began to faint from oxygen deprivation, the submarine captain's attempt to reach the Soviet general staff was unsuccessful. Nuclear war was here.
The Submarine commander prepared the nuclear torpedoes for launch. He needed the unanimous consent of all 3 officers on board to launch the torpedoes. 2 of the 3 granted their consent. But one, an obscure political officer named Vasili Arkhipov stepped forward to pull mankind back from the brink extinction. And in so doing, he single handedly saved the lives of over 500 billion people.
Bobby Kennedy and Soviet Diplomat Anatoly Dobrinin walked into the 11th hour fully cognizant of the fact that this meeting could either ease the tensions of the crisis, or push mankind back into the nuclear furnace. They swung back and forth on the issue of removal of missiles from their respective threats before finally agreeing to informal compromises that de-escalated the tension between the 2 camps.
John F. Kennedy and Nikita Kruschev risked possible military coups from their respective hawkish bureacracies to diffuse the threat of a nuclear holocaust created by their own provocations. Soviet diplomacy and American political improvisation allowed the world to breath a deep sigh of relief at the prospect of one more day to enjoy the simple pleasure of a rising sun. But an infinite debt of gratitude is owed by untold generations to an obscure Russian officer who stood strong against the paralyzing fear of the unknown in the depths of the deep blue cuban waters on that fateful day in October 1962.
Vasili Arkhipov, forgotten until the rediscovery of his incredible heroism by Oliver Stone and Dr. Peter Kuznick, declined the King's Gambit at the height of the precipice of nuclear war. And in so doing, obtained immortality by displaying epic bravery in the face of astronomical odds. He preserved the mortality of countless millions; even those who declared him an enemy.
TONY MACEO is the Chief blogger at Powerandstrategy.com and a senior blogger at the Negromanosphere. Like, share and subscribe to the website and the You Tube Channel. Chess Players visit the online chess store. Or become a patron at powerofstrategies on Patreon.com
