Towards ‘world support’ and ‘the ultimate judgment of history’: The American Legal Case for the Blockade of Cuba during the Missile Crisis, October-November 1962

Abstract

The literature of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 has largely overlooked Washington’s promotion of a case in international law to legitimise and generate support for the naval blockade of Cuba. This article explores the development and presentation of the legal case, and then gauges its success by looking at the response of various ‘free world’ governments. It is argued that these governments backed American policy despite, not because of, the US legal case, which in fact they found highly questionable. The analysis draws extensively on US and British archival sources as well as on the latest published research, and represents a fresh contribution to knowledge of the most dangerous confrontation of the Cold War.