Missing is what the US had done the preceding 8 years and the years preceding those 8 years. Softly softly, speak nicely don't upset the ugly gorilla and how has that helped getting decency from the gorilla? Also your account of Kennedy's verbal interactions with his generals is 'Liberal' hearsay, how much is actually the full truth?  I read a French account by an ex diplomat (forget his name and the book) involved in the Cuban crisis and his firm opinion was that Kennedy and the US, who played draughts while the Russians played chess, were very much out negotiated. Two big concessions the Russians got was (secret) removal of US missiles from Turkey and an agreement to never invade Cuba. The latter was crucial as it allowed the Russians to fund/send Cuban military and political activists all over the 2nd/3rd world without the US being able to do anything to stop it.