Cuba crisis 'sparked UK war plan'

Cuba crisis 'sparked UK war plan'

UK officials worked to halve the time it would take the country to go to
war after the Cuban missile crisis, according to newly released documents.

Prime Minister Harold Macmillan ordered a review of war preparedness
plans following the stand-off, say official documents from the National
Archives.

The US-Soviet row over Russian missiles based in Cuba brought the world
to the brink of nuclear conflict.

As a result the UK decided to ensure it could be war-ready within two days.

Urgent work

The National Archives published records of a Cabinet meeting which took
place in November 1962, a month after the crisis ended.

They reveal urgent work by ministers to make certain war procedures were
up to date.

A secret simulation exercise, Operation Felstead, had previously shown
that under existing Government powers it would take four days to
mobilise forces.

Nuclear threat

But after the Cuban crisis, there were fears that such arrangements did
not offer enough flexibility to counter the threat of a nuclear strike,
or to cope quickly with the aftermath.

Minutes of a Cabinet office home defence committe meeting show that
officials therefore resolved to halve the preparation time.

The Government decided to rewrite part of the War Book, its guidelines
for the countdown to conflict.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4668168.stm

Published: 2006/02/01 00:08:16 GMT

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