To answer this question correctly, students must select Fact 2 and Fact 4 and explain why each might lead them to question the reliability of McNamara’s interview as evidence of whether the U.S. posed a threat to Cuba in 1963. Fact 2 reveals that McNamara was the U.S. secretary of defense during the Cuban Missile Crisis, so McNamara had a reason to portray the government’s actions during the crisis in a favorable light. A suggestion that the Soviet Union was reacting to a legitimate threat to Cuba by the United States might cause people to view the United States government’s actions in the Cuban Missile Crisis less favorably. Fact 4 reveals that Bay of Pigs was an invasion backed by the CIA carried out just two years before the Cuban Missile Crisis. McNamara falsely stated that the Bay of Pigs wasn’t an invasion, which undermines his credibility as a source on the issue of whether the United States posed a threat to Cuba in 1963.
Level: Proficient
Student selects the correct fact and explains how it casts doubt on the reliability of the document.
Level: Emergent
Student selects the correct fact but does not provide an adequate or complete explanation of how it would lead them to question the reliability of the document.
Level: Basic
Student does not select the correct fact or selects the correct fact but does not provide a relevant explanation.
