Truthiness Research Paper Literature & Language Research Paper (Research Paper Sample)

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Truthiness Research Paper
The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 is a classic illustration of how lies and manipulation in politics can be used to assert dominance. During this time, leaders from the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a tense 13-day military standoff that nearly escalated the cold war. Cuba had installed nuclear launch pads sourced from the Soviet Union just 90 miles off the US shores. Earlier on, the Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro had sought the help of Soviet Union to place missiles on his island to prevent future invasion of the island after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. After successive talks and careful consideration, the Soviet’s decided to help equip Cuba with weapons for defensive purposes. However, there was a perk to this deal. All involvements with the Soviet Union was to be kept secret until all installed missiles were operational on the island. The Soviet Union then embarked on an exit strategy to secure secrecy for the missile installation and subsequent denial should their activities be brought to subject. In the midst of the installation process, a US surveillance plane took 14 photos showing soviet missiles in Cuba (Anderson, 210-213). Upon request to explain their presence, Khrushchev lied that it was for defensive purposes to safeguard interest of the Cuban revolution.