holstetter states: did the Soviet move into Cuba have a purely political significance for the Russians, or did Soviet bases in Cuba have a military worth for them (1983, p.316). Perhaps Khrushchev thought by placing missiles in Cuba he could force negotiations with Kennedy (negotiations that were previously unsuccessful in Vienna), have the U.S.'s Jupiter missiles removed from Turkey and have a no invasion guarantee for Cuba. If this is true it obviously worked.
             ExComm was originally assembled by President Kennedy so he could be well advised and compare diplomatic and military strategies during this crisis. His first thoughts were to let the Air Force use conventional weapons to destroy the bases before they became operational. The Joint Chiefs of Staff suggested conducting air strikes to eliminate the missiles and thus remove the Russian's first strike capabilities. These air strikes were to be followed up with a U.S. military invasion of Cuba. Kennedy decided not to conduct air strikes with a follow up invasion probably because of the Bay of Pigs (he also wanted to avoid thermo nuclear war). The mission had failed and Kennedy did not want the political back lash of another U.S. military failure. B
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