European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 18, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sov of ship steams away irom Cuba nov. 7,1962. Vat late on it decks Are Canvas covered missiles and transporters evidence of soviet compliance with agreement to dismantle their missiles in Cuba and Lake Tham Home. W blinked As a soviet defeat at All. He said the purpose of the missiles was to deter an american invasion of Cuba. When that objective was accomplished the missiles were no longer needed he said at Issue in the crisis was Moscow s installation of two types of missiles one Model capable of reaching beyond Washington d.c., and another with a Range extending deep into Canadian territory they were detected by . Air reconnaissance lights Over the Island. The missile Biles once operational would give the soviets a nuclear strike capability not Only against the United Stales bul virtually All nations of the Western hemisphere Kennedy s while House counsel Theodore Sorenson wrote that six options were considered by Kennedy and his top aides. The Milder ones ranged from doing nothing to making secret approaches to cuban prime minister Fidel Castro and to applying diplomatic pressure on the soviet Union. Harder line alternatives included a naval blockade of Cuba air strikes against the missile Sites and an All out invasion of the Island. Early in the crisis Kenedy ruled out the softer choices believing that the missiles constituted an explicit threat to the peace and Security of the americas. Initially Kennedy favored bombing the missile Sites but retreated from the position partly on he advice Llewellyn Thompson who had just completed a tour of duty As ambassador to Sis soviet Union. Thompson Felt air strikes could provoke thru Krichev into immediate counterattack. Kennedy adopted in increasingly dovish position As the crisis dragged on. In act unbeknownst to Allol his top advisers except Rusk Kennedy was prepared in the final stages to offer the soviets an even Trade the removal of soviet missiles from Cuba in return Lor the . Withdrawal of Jupiter missiles from Turkey located just across the Black sea. This Fallback position became known in August through a letter from Rusk disclosed by the Rew York times. Kennedy never had to make this Concession because Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles irom Cuba without reference to the missiles in Turkey. For even suggesting the appearance of a missile Trade off involving Cuba and Turkey. Stevenson the . Ambassador was regarded during the crisis by some in Kennedy s inner Circle As a Coward. As David Delzer said in his 1979 Book the blink their contemptuous reaction to him Stevenson and his proposition would tarnish him for  the hawkish faction around Kennedy Felt the United Stales should not pay for something the soviets should be doing for free Kennedy believed he had o confront not Only the existing missile Sites under construction in Cuba but also soviet shipments to Cuba of military equipment including missile pans. To Deal with the latter problem Kennedy opted for a naval blockade of Cuba despite immense drawbacks Delzer said the Chiel Appeal of a blockade was thai it was not immediately violent and therefore less Likely to touch Oft a retaliatory strike by the soviets. Raymond l. Gahlhoff a stale department soviet affairs analyst at the time of the crisis says it showed that such confrontations can be managed and resolved. But he adds the experience also showed that Many things escaped control and hat crises May. Always be manageable. In addition to thinking about the planning for crisis management we ought to put Mere attention on crisis  Dean Acheson a former Secretary of state who died in 1971, once wrote.1 when he seemed to be Over the Hump of the cuban missile crisis i wrote a note to president Kennedy congratulating him on his leadership firmness and judgment. It does not detract from the sincerity of this message to add i also thought he had been phenomenally  defense Secretary Robert 3. Mcnamara was an Early and forceful advocate of a naval blockade and soon was joined by Rusk and attorney general Robert Kennedy arrayed against them was Ino bombing faction led by the joint chiefs of staff and Acheson whom Kennedy invited to join the highly secret deliberations leading la his monday speech. Kennedy realized thai All the proposals had drawbacks but that the naval blockade seemed the least objectionable. " he could always bomb Laier it inc blockade did t work. As a last resort the United Stales also could invade the Island and Lens of thousands of troops were dispatched to Florida in a worst Case contingency plan. At 7p.m., monday oct. 22, 1962, Kennedy went on National television and said that in response to a soviet attempt to establish a nuclear strike capability in Cuba the United states was imposing a strict quarantine on All offensive military equipment under shipment to thai country. He also said the United states would seek an emergency meeting of the . Security Council to demand the prompt dismantling and withdrawal of All offensive weapons from Cuba under the supervision of in. Observers. That evening. Rusk mused about the perils of the nuclear age. In an earlier Era. To said you could have confrontation or a showdown you Couk go to sleep and you d Wake up in the morning and you d be there and the City would be  in the Modem world he said people could not be so sure. The fallowing morning Rusk Ped by the office of under Secretary of state George Ball and found him asleep on the Couch. Rusk woke Ball and said mischievously we have won a considerable Victory Vou and i Are still  in Jacksonville Fla after Kennedy s speech the audience at a symphony concert spontaneously stood up and Sang the National Anthem. Some americans began hoarding food and other supplies. In a los Angeles supermarket one woman was seen working four shopping carte at once. The embargo went into effect at 10 . Wednesday oct. 24 wifi 63 ships assigned the task of preventing soviet military supplies from reaching Cuba. The operation involved 30,000 . Military pilots and seamen. Kennedy and his top aides me to Monitor developments. At 10 25, a messenger entered the room and handed a note to Cia director John Mccona. Or. President we have a preliminary report which seems to indicate some russian ships Are s Topping Mccone said. Rusk nudged bund Yand said we re eyeball to eyeball and i think the other fellow just  a Short Lime later Washington Learned that so soviet snips closest to the quarantine Barrier had slapped and were dead in the water or had turned around. They decided not to Challenge tie quarantine but in Cuba. Work on the missile Sites was continuing without pause by Friday morning a us. Invasion of Cuba seemed a real possibility. About 25,000 marines were poised to make a Landing and More than 100,000 army troops in Florida were ready to follow. The defense department was preparing to Supply bomb shelters with food and water. The Slock Market had taken a dramatic plunge by Friday evening however there was a shift in the mood at a tense while House. Khrushchev sent Kennedy a Long rambling note indicating willingness to make a Deal on the missiles provided the United Stales promised not to a i Lack Cuba. A similar message was conveyed by the soviets through a different Channel. Alexander s. Fornin listed As a Counselor at the soviet embassy but presumed to be a Kab colonel discussed such a Deal during a Haslitt arranged meeting with Abc to news correspondent John Scali the same Day. At Formin s request. Scali passed the message to in stale department. The crisis seemed to be Over but optimism abruptly shifted to alarm the following morning with a second note from Khrushchev the soviets would remove their missiles from Cuba if the United Stales dismantled analogous weapons in Turkey. Kennedy was outraged by Khrushchev s a Lempi to extract a Price. Months earlier Kennedy had asked thai the missiles in Turkey be dismantled because they were obsolete but the military sided ils time in carrying Oul the directive. Bul to was reluctant to go along with Khrushchev s proposal because it would then appear the United Stales had bartered missiles. The Choice was agonizing give in and look weak or refuse and possibly touch off War. Ii was Ihen that Bobby Kennedy and Theodore Sorensen came up with thai Zolzer Calls a Brilliant  instead of replying to the second message they proposed acceptance of Khrushchev s original terms. The president and his top advisers agreed o Fry Bobby Kennedy met that saturday evening with soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin at the Justice department. The attorney general warned Dobrynin thai the soviets must make a commitment to remove the missiles in 24 hours or Kennedy said we would remove  Dobrynin asked Kennedy about the us missiles in Turkey. Kennedy replied Hal the president had been eager to remove them and assured the russian they would be gone in Lour or five months. Ii is still not known whether Hal pledge was decisive bul the nex i morning the soviets agreed to dismantle their missiles and Lake them Homo. Euphoria spread through Washington. Kennedy fell he might be at the High Point of his administration bul perhaps recognizing How ephemeral such achievements Are he said with obvious reference to a slain predecessor Abraham Lincoln. This is the night i should go to  Many american celebrated taking in the Iris of what has become 15 films about a British spy named James Bond a new us. Television Star came of age Hal same month. Johnny Carson the soviets soon dismantled the missile Sites bulldozing the installations into rubble within a few Days an Aerial photograph of one site snowed Only a single dump truck driving slowly around Iho area picking up the last remnants three months tale he . Jupiter m Turkey were gone. Chastened by Tho experience the superpowers agreed afterwards to open a hotline Between Moscow and Washington to improve communications a year later they signed a nuclear Teal ban treaty on the other hand Tho soviets soon began a a ii or arms buildup indicating Hal the unclear superiority of the United slates at the time May have contributed to the Soviel Retreat soviet Deputy foreign minister vastly Kuznetsov warned Mccloy the Cia director never will we be caught like this again Many analysis believe the episode has induced Ine superpowers to avoid the kind of activities which pushed them to the Brink a Quarter a Colury ago Der 18, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 15