Question

Cold War Perspective Activity

The Cuban Missile Crisis is something that perhaps one of your relatives
lived through. Imagine yourself as that relative, living in America in October of
1962. You are to write a letter that you hope will be found one day describing the
events of the Cuban Missile Crisis from your perspective. Describe how you feel
about your country on the brink of what you are convinced will be a nuclear war.
What would you want to say about that? What advice would you give whoever
would one day find that letter? What are your fears and is there any hope? What
are some things you are doing in light of the events taking place? How do you
think others in your community are feeling and what do you think about the
Soviets?
Your letter should be at least three paragraphs long and remember that this is
a letter, not a report, thus it is written in first person and personal.

Answer 1

As someone who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis in America during October of 1962, I can tell you that it was an incredibly scary and uncertain time. I remember feeling like we were on the brink of a nuclear war, and the fear that gripped our nation was palpable. In my letter, I would want to convey the gravity of the situation and express my hopes that we could avoid the worst possible outcome.

Despite the fear and uncertainty, I would also want to express my pride in my country and our leaders. I know that they were working tirelessly to resolve the crisis, and I would want whoever found my letter to know that I had faith in their abilities to protect our nation.

At the same time, I would share my fears for the future and my concern about the Soviet Union. While I understood that they were our enemies, I hoped that we could find a way to coexist peacefully and avoid a devastating war.

As for what I was doing during this time, I remember that we had emergency drills at school and in our community, and we were encouraged to stock up on supplies in case of an attack. Despite these preparations, however, I knew that there was only so much we could do to protect ourselves.

Overall, the Cuban Missile Crisis was a time of great fear and uncertainty for our nation. As someone who lived through it, I would want my letter to convey both the gravity of the situation and my hopes for a peaceful resolution.