Background and position
Mikoyan was a senior Soviet leader who had helped build relations with revolutionary Cuba. His visit in February 1960 preceded the missile crisis and gave him direct experience of the Cuban leadership. This made him an important intermediary when the alliance was strained by the withdrawal decision.
Sources for this passage: [1] [2]Role in October 1962
Mikoyan’s November mission dealt with the consequences of Moscow’s decision and Cuba’s objections. His long conversation with Castro on 22 November addressed the remaining tactical nuclear weapons. His role shows why the crisis cannot be understood as ending completely with Khrushchev’s announcement on 28 October.
The November talks went beyond dismantling the strategic missile sites seen in American photographs. Soviet tactical nuclear weapons were still an issue. Mikoyan had to explain and negotiate Moscow’s position with a Cuban government angered by its exclusion from the superpower settlement.
Sources for this passage: [1] [3]Why their role matters
His mission is a useful corrective to accounts that stop on 28 October. The announcement that a war had been avoided did not mean that all nuclear weapons had left Cuba, or that the allies agreed about the terms. Withdrawal remained a political and military process over subsequent weeks.
Sources for this passage: [3] [4]