Was Guantanamo Bay important during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

[infodisiac]

I’m sure this must have been asked before but I’ve never heard of Guantanamo Bay in relation to the Cuban Missile Crisis. My understanding is that the base has been extant since the Spanish-American War. If I’m correct what significance (if any) did Guantanamo Bay have during the crisis? Was there any significant American military presence there at the time?
thanks,
Infodisiac

[alphaboi867]

It would have been the site of the first land battle of the Third World War.

[kniz]

July 12, 1960 Nikita Khrushchev supported Castro in his claims regarding Guantamamo Bay. As someone that was in the military at the time and therefore interested in what was going on, I don’t remember Guantamamo Bay playing any major role in the encounter.

[Duckster]

Marines, if not already engaged in landing exercises, were loaded on amphibious ships and ordered to sea. At Guantanamo, dependents were evacuated to the United States on October 22, and Marine units were shipped by air and sea to reinforce the base. Task Force 135, including the carrier Enterprise, was sent to the south of Cuba, ready to join in the defense of Guantanamo if needed. The carrier Independence and the supporting ships of Carrier Division Six stood by to provide additional support.

Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/cuba-62.htm

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the families of military personnel were evacuated from the base. Notified of the evacuation on October 22, evacuees were told to pack one suitcase per family member, to bring evacuation and immunization cards, to tie pets in the yard, to leave the keys to the house on the dining table, and to wait in front of the house for buses. Dependents traveled to the airfield for flights to the United States, or to ports for passage aboard evacuation ships.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_Naval_Base

[bonzer]

Judging by the references to the base in the transcripts of the White House tapes from the crisis, it was mainly treated as a complicating headache. The advice from the military was that they could hold it if attacked, though it would require reinforcing and that was why the extra Marines were sent. At some point on the 19th Maxwell Taylor stated “I think Guantanamo is going to cease to be a useful naval base, become more of a fortress that’s more or less in a permanent state of seige.”
Adlai Stevenson did suggest to JFK that it be used as a bargaining chip in exploring possible deals, i.e. suggest that the US volunteer to leave the base in return for the Soviets removing their missiles from the island.

[infodisiac]

Interesting. Thanks for the information everyone.