The Cuban Missile Crisis — 'Solved' This week 49 Years Ago

Forty nine years ago on Oct. 28th JFK “solved” the Cuban Missile Crisis. Given the influence of Camelot’s court scribes and their cronies in the MSM, perhaps a refresher on conservative reaction to this “solution” is in order:

"We locked Castro's communism into Latin America and threw away the key to its removal," growled Barry Goldwater.

"Kennedy pulled defeat out of the jaws of victory,” wrote Richard Nixon. "Then gave the Soviets squatters rights in our backyard."

"We've been had!" yelled then Navy chief George Anderson upon hearing on October 28, 1962, how JFK "solved" the missile crisis. Adm. Anderson was the man in charge of the very "blockade" against Cuba.

"The biggest defeat in our nation's history!" bellowed Air Force chief Curtis Lemay, while whacking his fist on his desk.

"We missed the big boat," said Gen. Maxwell Taylor, after learning the details of the deal with Khrushchev.

"It's a public relations fable that Khrushchev quailed before Kennedy," wrote Alexander Haig. "The legend of the eyeball to eyeball confrontation invented by Kennedy's men paid a handsome political dividend. But the Kennedy-Khrushchev deal was a deplorable error resulting in political havoc and human suffering through the America's."

Even Democrats despaired. "This nation lacks leadership," said Dean Acheson, the Democratic elder statesman who Kennedy consulted on the matter. "The meetings were repetitive and without direction. Most members of Kennedy's team had no military or diplomatic experience whatsoever. The sessions were a waste of time."

But not for the Soviets. "We ended up getting exactly what we'd wanted all along," snickered Nikita Khrushchev in his diaries, “security for Fidel Castro’s regime and American missiles removed from Turkey. Until today the U.S. has complied with her promise not to interfere with Castro and not to allow anyone else to interfere with Castro. After Kennedy's death, his successor Lyndon Johnson assured us that he would keep the promise not to invade Cuba."

Khrushchev seemed prepared to yank the missiles even before any “bullying” by Kennedy. “What!” he gasped that week, as recalled by his son Sergei. “Is he (Fidel Castro) proposing that we start a nuclear war? That we launch missiles from Cuba? But that is insane!...Remove them (our missiles) as soon as possible! Before it’s too late. Before something terrible happens!” instructed the Soviet premier.

Tthe Kennedy team’s brainstorming sessions were certainly no waste of time for the primary beneficiary. "Many concessions were made by the Americans about which not a word has been said," snickered Fidel Castro. "Perhaps one day they'll be made public."

"We can't say anything public about this agreement. It would be too much of a political embarrassment for us." That's Robert F. Kennedy to Soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin when closing the deal that ended the so-called crisis.

Castro's regime's was granted new status. Let's call it MAP, or Mutually-Assured-Protection. Cuban freedom-fighters working from South Florida were suddenly rounded up for "violating U.S. Neutrality laws." Some of these bewildered men were jailed, others "quarantined," prevented from leaving Dade County. The Coast Guard in Florida got 12 new boats and seven new planes to make sure Castro remained unmolested, that not a hair on his chiny chin-chin was harmed by the hot-headed exiles. When some moved the bases of the liberation fight to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, the adamantly "non-interventionist" Camelot liberals suggested (strongly) to these governments that the Cuban freedom-fighters be booted out.

JFK's Missile crisis “solution” also pledged that he immediately pull the rug out from under Cuba's in-house freedom fighters. Raul Castro himself admitted that at the time of the Missile Crisis his troops and their Soviet advisors were up against 179 different "bands of bandits" as he labeled the thousands of Cuban anti-Communist rebels then battling savagely and virtually alone in Cuba's countryside, with small arms shipments from their compatriots in south Florida as their only lifeline.

Think about it: here was the U.S. Coast Guard and Border Patrol working 'round the clock arresting Hispanics in the U.S. who were desperate to return to their native country.

It's a tribute to the power of Castroite mythology that, even with all this information a matter of public record for almost half a century the academic/media mantra (gloat, actually) still has Castro, "defying ten U.S. Presidents!" Instead he’s been protected by them.

On October 14, 1962 JFK’s National Security advisor, McGeorge Bundy, appeared on ABC’s “Issues and Answers” to rebut hysteria from some tinfoil-hatters of the time. “Nothing but refugee rumors,” sneered Bundy regarding reports from Cuban- exiles about Soviet missiles going up in Cuba.

For months, Cuban freedom-fighters (mostly youths and college kids) had been risking death by KGB-tutored torture and firing squads by infiltrating Cuba to obtain these eyewitness reports of missiles and passing them to the CIA and U.S. State Dept. “Nothing in Cuba presents a threat to the United States,” continued the Ivy League luminary, Bundy—barely masking his scorn for these hot-headed and deceitful Cubans. “There’s no likelihood that the Soviets or Cubans would try and install an offensive capability in Cuba,” he scoffed.

“There’s fifty-odd-thousand Cuban refugees in this country,” added President Kennedy himself the following day, “all living for the day when we go to war with Cuba. They’re the ones putting out this kind of stuff.”

Exactly 48 hours later U-2 photos sat on JFK’s desk revealing those “refugee rumors,” sitting in Cuba, and pointed directly at Bundy, JFK and their entire staff of sagacious Ivy League wizards.

Much of his fame in the Third World, on college campuses (especially among faculties) and in Europe stems from the fable of Castro “defying” a superpower. In fact, he survived because of a sweetheart deal that allowed him to hide behind the skirts of two superpowers.

Monday, October 22nd-
· At exactly 7.00 p.m., Kennedy broadcast a live message to the nation and the world American public.
“This Government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba. Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missiles sites is now in preparation of that imprisoned island. The purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere. I have directed that the following initial steps be taken:
- First, to halt this offensive build up, a strict quarantine of all military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated.
- Second, I have directed the continued and increased close surveillance and its military build up.
- Third, it shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response on the Soviet Union.”
In the speech Kennedy used the word “quarantine” instead of “blockade.” This was an important detail. A blockade, as defined under international treaties, is an act of war. A quarantine, however, is merely an attempt to keep something unwanted out of a particular area. In this way, the US could have its blockade, but the international community would not consider it an act of war.
· Within minutes of Kennedy’s address to the nation, almost 300 Navy ships set sail for Cuba.
· Military alert was raised to DEFCON 3 and instructions were given to be ready to launch missiles.
· Twenty planes armed with nuclear bombs were in the air ready to strike the USSR.
· Kennedy sent a copy of his speech to Khrushchev, who became infuriated. He was angry at both his military for not successfully hiding the missiles and the American “quarantine” which, no matter what they called it, was an act of war.
· Khrushchev’s first response to the speech was to instruct the ships on their way to Cuba not to stop.
· Castro also responded by mobilizing all of Cuba’s military forces.
· The Russians conducted a High-Altitude Nuclear Test at Kapustin Yar, with a hydrogen bomb on a rocket and a yield of about 300 Kilotons
· President Kennedy phoned former Presidents Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower to brief them on the situation.
· President Kennedy sent the first of a series of letters to Khrushchev.
· Fidel Castro announced a general mobilization and war alert throughout Cuba.

Tuesday, October 23rd-
· Kennedy ordered six Crusader jets to fly a low-level reconnaissance mission. The mission, flown at 350 feet and at 350 knots, brought back amazing close-up pictures of the missile sites. It also showed that the Soviets were testing the missiles for launch. One of the pilots, William Ecker, commented that, “When you can almost see the writing on the side of the missiles, then you really know what you’ve got.” That evening, Kennedy, backed by the Western Hemisphere, signed Proclamation 3504 to authorize the Naval Interdiction.
· 26 Soviet ships are confirmed heading towards Cuba from the USSR.
· Kennedy tells ExCom: “No shooting without my explicit orders.”
· By the end of the day, the US ships had taken up position along the quarantine line, 800 miles from Cuba.
· The quarantine was to take effect at 10:00 a.m.
· Khrushchev responded to Kennedy’s letter.
· Kennedy responded in another letter that the crisis is the fault of Moscow.
· Khrushchev sent another letter to President Kennedy.
· The U.S. detonated an atomic bomb in Johnston Island, South Pacific.
· Cuba called for a meeting at the U.N. Security Council to discuss the crisis.
· The Organization of American States (OAS), at the request of the US, approved a resolution calling for the removal of the missiles by unanimous vote (with 1 abstention).
· Reconnaissance photos reveal that Soviet missiles are ready for launch.
· McNamara, Kennedy review and discuss options of confrontation.

Wednesday, October 24th-
· The naval quarantine begins.
· At 10:25 a.m., Soviet ships reached the quarantine line, but received radio orders from Moscow to hold their positions. EX-COMM received a report that these Soviet ships were turning back without protest. Washington believed that Khrushchev was not yet ready to expand the crisis by challenging the blockade.
· Consideration begins of civil defense options and planning for possible Soviet responses in Berlin.
· It is concluded that unless we invade in the next ten days, the missile base crews in Cuba will likely fire at least some of the missiles at US targets.
· Detailed briefings on new reconnaissance photos from Cuba indicate that construction on the missile sites continues at an accelerated pace.
· Resulting discussions introduce the need to disperse military aircraft at Florida bases in the event of attacks by MIGs based in Cuba.
· McNamara talks of a very dangerous situation since the ships approaching the quarantine line are being shadowed by Soviet submarines.
· General Thomas Power, commander-in-chief of the Strategic Air Command, raises the alert level to DefCon 2, the highest level ever in US history. The notification, sent around the world, was purposefully left uncoded so the Soviets would know just how serious the Americans were.
· Khrushchev responded to this with another letter to the White House. It accused the President of “advancing an ultimatum and threatening that if we do not give in to your demands you will use force. Therefore, the Soviet Government cannot instruct the captains of the Soviet vessels bound for Cuba to observe the orders of the American naval forces blockading that island.”

Thursday, October 25th-
· Khrushchev received a response from Kennedy stating that the US was not going to back down. Still attempting to avoid war, Kennedy was looking for alternatives. In his syndicated column, journalist Walter Lippman suggested a “face-saving” missile exchange. Ideally, the Soviets would remove their missiles from Cuba and the Americans would remove their missiles from Turkey. This suggestion was shot-down, however, because government officials in both the United States and the Soviet Union misinterpreted it to be a trial balloon from the Kennedy administration. But after a CIA report announced that the quarantine had failed to halt progress in the development of the missile sites, Kennedy believed only an invasion or a trade like the one Lippman had suggested would work. Kennnedy also decided to enhance pressure by increasing the number of low-level flights over Cuba from twice per day to once every two hours.
· The U.S. conducts an Atlas missile launch at Vandenberg AFB.
· The U.S. Ambassador, Adlai Stevenson, confronted the Soviets and presented evidence at the United Nations. The Soviets refuse to answer any questions.
· UN Secretary General U Thant called for a “cooling off” period. Khrushchev agrees, but Kennedy does not.
· A ship bound for Cuba from USSR is boarded and inspected.
· Castro authorizes Cuba’s air-defense forces to fire on all American aircraft within range.

Friday, October 26
· Aleksandr Fomin, the KGB intelligence officer and station chief in Washington, and “an old, trusted friend” of Khrushchev hints that there might be a solution in a message sent through ABC reporter John Scali.. He proposed the dismantling of Soviet bases under UN supervision in exchange for a public promise from the US not to invade Cuba. Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, told Fomin that the US government saw real possibilities, but that time was very urgent, and the proposal could take too much time. At 6:00 that night, the White House received a letter from Khrushchev which stated that the Soviet Union would declare that all of their ships bound for Cuba were not carrying any armaments, if the US would not invade Cuba. At a meeting between Robert Kennedy and Ambassador Dobrynin later that night, the idea of trading Soviet missiles in Cuba for American missiles in Turkey came into play again.
· The CIA reported that the construction of the missile sites is continuing and accelerating.
· Robert Kennedy met secretly with Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin and agreed after a phone call to the president that the removal of US missiles from Turkey was negotiable as part of a comprehensive settlement.
· Khrushchev received a cable from Castro urging a nuclear first strike against the US in the event of an invasion of Cuba.
· U.S. conducted a high-altitude test of Thor IRBM over Johnston Island area.

Saturday, October 27th- The climax of the crisis.
· Another letter, harsher and more demanding from Khrushchev arrived adding the removal of missiles from Turkey as a condition for removal of missiles in Cuba, and signaling a possible political coup in the works from hard-liners in the Soviet Union.
· A U-2 plane on a “routine air sampling mission” over western Alaska flew off course into Soviet Airspace. When he realized his mistake, the pilot immediately radioed for help. The rescue station operator was able to give him directions to turn his plane onto the right course. By that time, however, the Soviets had detected the U-2 and launched MiG fighters to intercept the spy plane. The Americans also launched their F-102 fighters to provide cover for the U-2. The F-102s, prepared for fighting, had been armed with nuclear tipped air-to-air missiles. The U-2 managed to leave Soviet air space in time and the two fighter groups never met. At the White House, Secretary of Defense McNamara feared that the Soviets could have interpreted the flight as a reconnaissance mission leading up to a nuclear strike.
· Around noon the same day, news reached EX-COMM that a U-2 pilot (Major Rudolf Anderson Jr.) had been shot down in a reconnaissance flight over Cuba by Soviet forces (under General G.A. Voronkov). The plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile and crashed in the island’s eastern jungle. EX-COMM had previously decided that if an American reconnaissance plane were to be shot down, the Air Force would retaliate by bombing the offending site. Now that it had actually happened, the Joint Chiefs, who had all-along been pressing for permission to bomb Cuba, began to press even harder. General Taylor insisted that, “no later than Monday morning, the 29th” the US should strike Cuba. Kennedy chose not to attack, but to wait for another plane to be shot down. Then he would order the destruction of the SAM site.
· Later in the day, a low-level reconnaissance mission was flown by six F8U-1P Crusader jets. Two of the jets aborted the mission early due to mechanical problems, but the remaining four continued on their course. As the fighters passed over the San Cristobal and Sagua la Grande missile sites, Cuban ground forces shot at the planes with anti-aircraft guns and small arms. One plane was hit by a 37mm shell but, fortunately, it returned safely.
· Kennedy then issued the order for attacks on Cuba to begin on Monday morning then changed his mind again and decided to accept the October 26 letter from the Soviets and to “pretend the October 27 letter didn’t exist”. At 8:05 pm he sent a response letter to Khrushchev.
· Robert Kennedy visited the Soviet embassy to make the offer: the US will remove the Jupiter missiles (from Turkey) within six months, but nothing can be said of this publicly. He adds that the US will deny such a claim if it is publicized. Soviet Ambassador Anatoly F. Dobrynin sent a cable to the Soviet Foreign Ministry, describing his conversation with Bobby Kennedy.
· An airdrop over Johnston Island area by B-52 tests 800-kiloton yield hydrogen bomb.

Sunday, October 28th-
· Khrushchev met with a circle of his advisers outside of Moscow. At the opening of the meeting, a general entered and read a statement he had just received that Kennedy was going to make an address to the nation at 5:00 pm. At that point, Khrushchev feared the worst. That address could be the announcement that an invasion of Cuba was already underway. Khrushchev was not prepared to start a war; therefore he and his advisors drafted a letter with the utmost urgency. When done, the letter was rushed to the broadcasting station. In a speech aired on Radio Moscow, Khrushchev read this letter to President Kennedy announcing the dismantling of Soviet missiles in Cuba and did not insist on his demands concerning the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey. Khrushchev hoped the message would reach Kennedy before 5:00 pm. The letter read:
Esteemed Mr. President:
“I have received your message of October 27, 1962. I express my satisfaction and gratitude for the sense of proportion and understanding of the responsibility borne by you at present for the preservation of peace throughout the world. In order to complete with greater speed the liquidation of the conflict, the Soviet Government, in addition to previously issued instructions on the cessation of further work at building sites for the weapons, has issued a new order on the dismantling of the weapons which you describe as “offensive,” and their crating.”
· The Soviet’s message is received in Washington at 9:00 am. The reaction among the EX-COMM members was mixed. Most were relieved, but others, especially the Joint Chiefs, considered the announcement a ploy by Khrushchev to buy more time. Kennedy ordered a halt to all reconnaissance flight.
· In Cuba, Castro was furious. Khrushchev had not had time to inform his ally in advance of the decision, so Castro learned about the agreement over the radio. In a letter to Khrushchev, Castro explained his thinking in ordering to shoot down American spy planes. Castro denounced the agreement and said a true solution would have included five more points:
(1) an end to the economic blockade against Cuba;
(2) an end to all subversive activities carried out from the United States against Cuba;
(3) a halt to all attacks on Cuba carried out from the US military bases on the island of Puerto Rico;
(4) the cessation of aerial and naval reconnaissance flights in Cuban airspace and waters;
(5) and the return of Guantanamo Naval Base to Cuba.
· Cuban troops took up positions around the Soviet nuclear missile sites.
· U.S. naval forces encircling Cuba included a joint force of 250,000 Marines and ground troops, over 1,000 planes and 250 naval vessels.

Monday, October 29th-
· Adlai Stevenson and John McCloy met with Vasily Kuznetsov in New York to work out the details of the agreement.
· Kennedy ordered US ships to remain on the quarantine line and authorized continuation of low-level reconnaissance flights.

Tuesday, October 30th-
· Khrushchev sent Castro a letter justifying his lack of consultation prior to the decision to remove the missiles.
· UN Secretary General U Thant traveled to Cuba to request Castro’s cooperation.

Wednesday, October 31st-
· Castro responds to Khrushchev, criticizing his performance.

Saturday, November 3rd-
· Cuban troops guarding Russian missile sites are withdrawn.

November 20th-
· The naval quarantine is ended after several weeks of negotiations after the Russians agree to withdraw Soviet IL-28 nuclear bombers from Cuba in 30 days.
· A UN inspection team monitored the removal of the missiles and the demolition of the missile bases in Cuba.
· The Soviet Navy shipped the missiles back to the USSR with the missiles sitting on the decks of the ships,
so that American reconnaissance planes could count the missiles and make sure that all had been removed.

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