2012 Orwell Lecture: Secrets of the Cuban missile crisis
The fear created by the Cuban missile crisis was vividly described at the 2012 Orwell lecture.
The fear created by the Cuban missile crisis and the tense politicking between the US and the Soviet Union were vividly described at the 2012 Orwell lecture.
Christopher Andrew, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Cambridge, detailed the spying activities linked to the nuclear stand-off during the talk on 22 November. He also focused on how children were affected by events in October 1962, and said that their experiences would be better remembered if George Orwell had been alive to document them.
Tribute to George Orwell
Professor Andrew began the lecture by praising Orwell as the “greatest writer” in 20th century Britain, and he lamented the fact that Orwell was not alive at the time of the Cuban missile crisis. He said: “The reason why we don’t have a decent interpretation of the most dangerous moment in British history is that he [Orwell] died tragically early in 1950 at the age of 46, absolutely at the peak of his powers. Orwell was the only person who could really deal with the new forms of authoritarianism which had occurred in the 20th century. He was the only person who could deal with this [Cuban missile crisis].”
Frightened children
The lecture, entitled The most dangerous moment in British history: Secrets of the missile crisis 50 years on, began with a description of a school bomb drill. During the crisis, US schoolchildren were all taught what to do in the case of a nuclear bomb – hide under their desks and cover their heads. Professor Andrew added: “Everybody in the United States of a certain age has the same memory. You don’t forget being told to go under a desk and adopt the brace position.”
Spies, missiles and politics
Professor Andrew – a respected authority on the intelligence services, including M15 – spoke about how both the US and Soviet Union spied on each other before, and during, the Cuban missile crisis. Whereas the Soviet Union benefited from reliable intelligence during World War Two, he said, this was not the case afterwards, and exaggerated fears about US intentions led the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to install missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. Professor Andrew said there is a tendency to exaggerate threats in authoritarian regimes as there is an “extraordinary difference between perception and reality.”
The US discovered these missile sites in mid-October 1962 thanks to satellite imagery from its U2 Spyplane, and the 13-day stand-off began. US president John F. Kennedy responded by announcing a naval blockade of Cuba and he refused to back down. On 28 October Khrushchev agreed to the removal of the bases in exchange for assurances from the US that it would not invade Cuba.
The Orwell lecture is an annual event organised by the the Orwell Trust and Birkbeck. The Orwell Trust is one of the partners of the Orwell Prize – Britain’s most prestigious prize for political writing.