Crateology was the 'science' of identifying the contents of Soviet shipments to the Island of Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency

Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...

 during the Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...

 .

Crateology has declined as a discipline in recent years due to globalisation and the decline in the usage of custom made wooden crates in favour of standard metal shipping container

Intermodal container

An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...

s. As well as making the world 'flatter' and smaller', globalisation has resulted in the loss of not merely a science, but a 'beautiful art form'.

See also

• CIA activities in Cuba
  CIA activities in Cuba
  -Cuba 1956:In June, 1956, Lyman Kirkpatrick, a senior Central Intelligence Agency figure, traveled to Cuba to offer President Batista aid and assistance in the development of the Bureau Para La Represion de Actividades Comunistas , a Cuban agency established to combat the growing anti-government...
  
  
• Cuban Missile Crisis
  Cuban Missile Crisis
  The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
  
  
• National technical means of verification
  National technical means of verification
  National technical means of verification is a phrase that first appeared, but was not detailed, in the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty between the US and USSR. At first, the phrase reflected a concern that the "Soviet Union could be particularly disturbed by public recognition of this capability...