The history of the Cuban Missile Crisis - Matthew A. Jordan

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

It's not hard to imagine a world where at any given moment,

Nije teško zamisliti svet, u kom u bilo kom momentu

you and everyone you know could be wiped out without warning

vi i svi koje poznajete biste mogli da budete zbrisani bez upozorenja,

at the push of a button.

pritiskom na dugme.

This was the reality for millions of people during the 45-year period

To je bila stvarnost za milione ljudi tokom perioda od 45 godina

after World War II,

nakon Drugog svetskog rata,

now known as the Cold War.

perioda poznatog kao Hladni rat.

As the United States and Soviet Union faced off across the globe,

Tokom planetarnog sukoba Sjedinjenih Država i Sovjetskog saveza

each knew that the other had nuclear weapons capable of destroying it.

obe strane su znale da druga strana ima nuklearno oružje u stanju da ih uništi.

And destruction never loomed closer than during the 13 days

A uništenje nikad nije bilo bliže na vidiku kao tokom trinaestodnevne

of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Kubanske raketne krize.

In 1961, the U.S. unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Cuba's new communist government.

SAD su 1961. neuspešno pokušale da svrgnu novoizabranu komunističku vladu Kube.

That failed attempt was known as the Bay of Pigs,

Taj neuspeli pokušaj je poznat kao Zaliv svinja

and it convinced Cuba to seek help from the U.S.S.R.

i ubedio je Kubu da zatraži pomoć od SSSR-a.

Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev was happy to comply

Sovjetski premijer Nikita Hruščov se rado povinovao,

by secretly deploying nuclear missiles to Cuba,

šaljući u tajnosti nauklearne rakete Kubi,

not only to protect the island,

ne samo da bi zaštitio ostrvo,

but to counteract the threat from U.S. missiles in Italy and Turkey.

već da bi neutralisao pretnje od raketa SAD-a u Italiji i Turskoj.

By the time U.S. intelligence discovered the plan,

Dok su američki obaveštajci otkrili plan,

the materials to create the missiles were already in place.

materijali za pravljenje raketa su već bili isporučeni.

At an emergency meeting on October 16, 1962,

Na hitnom sastanku 16. oktobra 1962,

military advisors urged an airstrike on missile sites

vojni savetnici su zahtevali vazdušni napad na raketna skloništa

and invasion of the island.

i invaziju ostrva.

But President John F. Kennedy chose a more careful approach.

No predsednik Džon F. Kenedi je odabrao smotreniji pristup.

On October 22, he announced that the the U.S. Navy

Najavio je 22. oktobra da će američka mornarica

would intercept all shipments to Cuba.

presretati sve pošiljke za Kubu.

There was just one problem:

Postojao je samo jedan problem:

a naval blockade was considered an act of war.

mornarička blokada se smatrala ratnim činom.

Although the President called it a quarantine

Iako je to predsednik nazvao karantinom

that did not block basic necessities,

koji nije blokirao osnovne potrepštine,

the Soviets didn't appreciate the distinction.

Sovjetima se nije svidela ta razlika.

In an outraged letter to Kennedy,

U pismu zgražavanja upućenom Kenediju,

Khrushchev wrote, "The violation of freedom to use international waters

Hruščov je napisao: "Narušavanje slobode korišćenja međunarodnih voda

and international airspace is an act of aggression

i međunarodnog vazdušnog prostora je čin agresije

which pushes mankind toward the abyss of world nuclear missile war."

koji gura čovečanstvo ka ambisu svetskog rata nuklearnim raketama."

Thus ensued the most intense six days of the Cold War.

Tako je počelo najzategnutijih šest dana Hladnog rata.

While the U.S. demanded the removal of the missiles,

Dok su SAD zahtevale uklanjanje raketa,

Cuba and the U.S.S.R insisted they were only defensive.

Kuba i SSSR su insistirali da je to radi samoodbrane.

And as the weapons continued to be armed,

I kako su nastavili da se naoružavaju,

the U.S. prepared for a possible invasion.

SAD su se pripremale za moguću invaziju.

On October 27, a spy plane piloted by Major Rudolph Anderson

Špijunski avion, kojim je upravljao major Rudolf Anderson je 27. oktobra

was shot down by a Soviet missile.

oboren sovjetskim projektilom.

The same day, a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine was hit by a small-depth charge

Istog dana, sovjetska podmornica s nuklearnim naoružanjem je pogođena

malom dubinskom bombom s mornarice SAD-a kojom joj je signalizirano da izroni.

from a U.S. Navy vessel trying to signal it to come up.

The commanders on the sub, too deep to communicate with the surface,

Komandiri na podmornici, bejavši preduboko da bi komunicirali s površinom,

thought war had begun and prepared to launch a nuclear torpedo.

mislili su da je rat počeo i spremali su se da ispale nuklearni torpedo.

That decision had to be made unanimously by three officers.

Tu odluku su morala jednoglasno da donesu tri oficira.

The captain and political officer both authorized the launch,

Kapetan i politički oficir su obojica odobrili lansiranje,

but Vasili Arkhipov, second in command, refused.

no Vasilij Arhipov, drugi po rangu, je odbio.

His decision saved the day and perhaps the world.

Njegova odluka je spasila dan, a moguće i svet.

But the crisis wasn't over.

Međutim, kriza nije bila gotova.

For the first time in history,

Prvi put u istoriji,

the U.S. Military set itself to DEFCON 2,

SAD vojska je proglasila DEFCON 2,

the defense readiness one step away from nuclear war.

spremnost na odbranu u slučaju nuklearnog rata.

With hundreds of nuclear missiles ready to launch,

Sa stotinama nuklearnih raketa spremnih za lansiranje,

the metaphorical Doomsday Clock stood at one minute to midnight.

metaforički sat sudnjeg dana otkucavao je minut do ponoći.

But diplomacy carried on.

No, nastavilo se sa diplomatijom.

In Washington, D.C., Attorney General Robert Kennedy

U Vašingtonu se državni tužilac Robert Kenedi

secretly met with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin.

u tajnosti sastao sa sovjetskim ambasadorom Anatolijem Dobrinjinom.

After intense negotiation, they reached the following proposal.

Nakon intenzivnih pregovora, stigli so do sledećeg predloga.

The U.S. would remove their missiles from Turkey and Italy

SAD će da uklone svoje rakete iz Turske i Italije

and promise to never invade Cuba

uz obećanje da nikad neće napasti Kubu,

in exchange for the Soviet withdrawal from Cuba under U.N. inspection.

u zamenu za sovjetsko povlačenje iz Kube pod nadzorom UN-a.

Once the meeting had concluded,

Čim je sastanak završen,

Dobrynin cabled Moscow saying time is of the essence

Dobrinjin je poslao telegram Moskvi s rečima da je ključni momenat

and we shouldn't miss the chance.

i da ne bi trebalo propustiti priliku.

And at 9 a.m. the next day,

I u 9 ujutru sledećeg dana,

a message arrived from Khrushchev

stigla je poruka od Hruščova

announcing the Soviet missiles would be removed from Cuba.

kojom je javljeno da će ukloniti sovjetske rakete iz Kube.

The crisis was now over.

Kriza je time završena.

While criticized at the time by their respective governments

Dok su ih svojevremeno kritikovale njihove cenjene vlade

for bargaining with the enemy,

zbog pregovaranja s neprijateljem,

contemporary historical analysis shows great admiration

savremena istorijska analiza pokazuje izuzetno divljenje

for Kennedy's and Khrushchev's ability to diplomatically solve the crisis.

prema sposobnosti Kenedija i Hruščova da diplomatski reše krizu.

But the disturbing lesson was that a slight communication error,

No uznemirujuće naravoučenije je da mala greška u komunikaciji

or split-second decision by a commander, could have thwarted all their efforts,

ili odluka komandira u deliću sekunde su mogli da osujete sve njihove napore,

as it nearly did if not for Vasili Arkhipov's courageous choice.

kao što se umalo i desilo da nije bilo hrabre odluke Vasilija Arhipova.

The Cuban Missile Crisis revealed just how fragile human politics are

Kubanska raketna kriza je razotkrila koliko je krhka ljudska politika

compared to the terrifying power they can unleash.

u poređenju sa zastrašujućom moći koju može da oslobodi.