missiles facing Russia as a condition for releasing the strangle hold on the German city (Kennedy, 1971, 13).
The second option considered by the Kennedy Administration for dealing with the Cuban missile crisis was an air and naval blockade of Cuba. This option was strongly supported by Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, and President Kennedy's brother, Robert. The pro blockade faction argued that this tactic offered limited response instead of immediate, total war (which sooner rather than later would involve nuclear warheads). Additionally, these men argued that a blockade would offer the President a flexible means of ratcheting up pressure on the Russians if necessary. In fact, a blockade would not preclude the use of an all out invasion should the situation deteriorate (Kennedy, 1971, 12).
Fortunately, President Kennedy eventually chose the blockade option. This was the best option available for a number of reasons. First, there was little guarantee that the military hardware available in 1962 was capable of successfully destroying the Cuban
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