Lesson Summary
During the Cold War, tensions between the United States and Cuba were at an all-time high. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Cuba strengthened its ties with the Soviet Union, increasing U.S. fears of communist influence just 90 miles from Florida. By early 1962, the Soviet Union was secretly sending nuclear weapons to Cuba, escalating the situation even further.
With most Americans opposed to military intervention, a group of high-ranking U.S. military officials, known as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, proposed Operation Northwoods. This shocking plan called for staged attacks on American citizens—including bombings and the sinking of refugee boats—to create public outrage and justify war with Cuba. This type of deception is known as a false flag operation, where an attack is made to look like it was carried out by an enemy.
Fortunately, President John F. Kennedy rejected the proposal, preventing what could have been a devastating war with Cuba and the Soviet Union. But this raises bigger questions: How often do governments use deception to push their agendas? The Iraq War, for example, was justified by false claims of weapons of mass destruction. If leaders were willing to manipulate the public in the past, could similar tactics be at play today? This lesson challenges you to think critically about official narratives and question what you’re told, because history has shown that governments are willing to lie—even at the cost of innocent lives.
