Posted on 10/01/2004 5:55:38 PM PDT by Sir_Humphrey
Kerry claimed that during the Cuban Missile Crisis, de Gaulle said he didn't need to see photos of Soviet missiles in Cuba because the word of the US President (Kennedy) was "good enough" for him.
I realize his point was that goodwill between nations is a valuable thing, but does anybody know if this is actually true? I have studied the missile crisis ad nauseum in HS and college and don't recall this ever being written about. I tried a google search and found nothing to substantiate this claim. Is this another Kerry lie or can somebody point me to research that says it actually happened. I want to discuss this in my class on Monday (I teach 7th graders) but unlike my fellow teachers, I like to check my facts first.
As is always the case, thanks in advance for your guidence and help. You all are one of the best resources a rookie teacher can have.
Hugh Hewitt.com shreds this historical revisionism..
He talked about it today and the history is on his web site.
When I heard skerry mention JFK and the Cuban
Missile thing, I figured teddy kennedy told
him to toss it in where he could. And he did.
Biden went on to recall a Dean Acheson meeting with General DeGaulle. The senator's message: If you can't gain the approval of the French president, you're disqualified.
From: Hughhewitt.com
First, Kennedy sent Dean Acheson, not Dean Rusk to see DeGaulle. Acheson was a former Secretary of State, Rusk the then sitting Secretary of State.
Second, that's not what DeGualle said to Acheson. Here's an account of the Acheson-DeGaulle meeting and briefing. One source, almost certainly Acheson, reported DeGualle's comment to have been "A great government such as yours does not act without evidence." And DeGualle, no matter what he said, sat through the briefing in which the evidence was displayed for him.
Finally, and most important, the Cuban Missile Crisis, from start to finish, was all about preemptive action, and had nothing to do with passing "global tests." Kennedy never sought the approval of any ally much less the United nations. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Steveson, made a presentation to the U.N. on October 25, 1962, three days after the blockade had been imposed.
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:qX5QyfuoHvQJ:www.cia.gov/csi/books/shermankent/10cuban.html+cuban+missile+crisis+de+gaulle+and+rusk&hl=en
Kerry's claim is garbage: http://tinyurl.com/4gbr2
Some of Kerry's answers like this one made me wonder if he got the talking points ahead of time from Lehrer!
Additional Kerry gaffes and GOP clarifications:
Have some fun tracing the DeGaulle story. I found a Biden reference back in 2003! (Before his trip to meet Chirac)
And finally, beyond our borders, we squandered the opportunity to build an effective national security strategy to meet new threats without alienating the rest of the world. I love that story that I've heard before ... and I understand to be true ... about DeGaulle saying I need not see the evidence.Biden, July 29, 2004
Forty years ago, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy sent former Secretary of State Dean Acheson to Europe to seek support. Acheson explained the situation to French President de Gaulle. Then, he offered to show classified intelligence information as proof. De Gaulle said, "That's not necessary. I know President Kennedy. I know he would never mislead me on a question of war and peace." Would a single foreign leader react the same way today?Kerry, Sept. 20, 2004
In the dark days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy sent former Secretary of State Dean Acheson to Europe to build support. Acheson explained the situation to French President de Gaulle. Then he offered to show him highly classified satellite photos, as proof. De Gaulle waved the photos away, saying: “The word of the President of the United States is good enough for me.”
Jeezus, Kerry is such a fraud he practically quoted Biden verbatim.
FMCDH(BITS)
I have updated my FMCDH (From My Cold Dead Hands) sign-off with the addition of (BITS).....Blood In The Streets, which I foresee coming soon, due to the enormous increase of the Marxist progressive movement being shoved down the throat of this failing REPUBLIC through the Judicial tyranny of fiat law, the passing of unconstitutional laws by the Legislative and Executive branches of our government and the enormous tax burden placed upon the average American to support unconstitutional programs put forth by Marxist ideology. FMCDH(BITS)
It was a great line even if untrue. However, even if it was true it was irrevelant to Iraq. France saw photographs of evidence that Colin Powell presented to the U.N. Made no difference. It wasn't that France distrusted Bush or the evidence. No matter what they wouldn't have gone in because they were too heavily invested in Saddam. Bush should have pointed all that out.
Back in December 2003 remember Kerry talking about meeting with World leaders and a "friend" who visited Chirac? That was Biden, we later learned. he has a "45 minute private discussion" with Chirac.
You think? Who in the world would do that? /sarc.
Pointing it out, on Bush's part, wouldn't have made any difference. In my heart I do not think anyone's mind has been changed.
Anyone who thinks France was going to support us on Iraq should have his head examined. They stood to lose too much money, and some of that was undoubtedly UN money, now being 'investigated.' The whole thing stinks. France is the Wizard of Oz, the proverbial man behind the curtain. In face, France is the New Sick Man of Europe, as the Ottoman Turks were of old.
I shouldn't have clicked on your link before posting mine. With all the search criteria in your link, I didn't recognize it was going to the same place.
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