CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS DAY FIVE

THE report by the Associated Press news agency said that President Kennedy had come down overnight with a cold in Chicago and had cancelled several outdoor election rallies to return to the White House. But it was a ruse. Kennedy only wanted to avoid arousing public suspicion.

At 2.30pm Washington DC time he sat down with his National Security Council to go over their options. The time had come to confront the Soviets over the medium-range and intermediate-range missiles they had secretly installed on Cuba.

The NCS was told that 16 SS-4 missiles, with a range of 1020 nautical miles, were operational in Cuba and could be fired 18 hours after a decision had been taken to fire them. The launchers’ bearing - 315 degrees – meant they were pointed towards the central area of the U.S.

Defence Secretary Robert McNamara said that after a blockade of Cuba, designed to prevent any more missiles being delivered, the U.S. would press for the removal of the existing ones. But something would have to be offered in return – possibly the removal of American strategic missiles from Turkey and Italy.

McNamara added that it was too risky to give the Soviets an ultimatum that an air strike would be ordered if the missiles remained. He was prepared to tell Khrushchev that if the Cuban missiles were to be used against America, it would retaliate by launching missiles against the USSR.

General Maxwell Taylor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Chiefs favoured an air strike in three days’ time, when the armed forces would be ready. He disagreed with McNamara that if the U.S. used nuclear weapons in Cuba, the Soviets would use nuclear weapons against the U.S.

Robert Kennedy favoured a blockade plus air strike but McNamara warned an air strike would kill several thousand Russians and create chaos on Cuba and attempts to overthrow Castro. It would in all probability lead to a U.S. invasion of the island. The Soviets would make a “very major” response to an air strike, which would see the U.S. losing control of the situation which could escape to general war.

The NSC meeting lasted two hours and 40 minutes, and by its end the President had won agreement for a “quarantine” of Cuba, plus a demand to the Soviets that they remove the offensive missiles from Cuba. An air strike should be put in hand if the Soviets declined. Only if Khrushchev raised the issue of U.S. missiles in Turkey and Italy would the U.S. be happy to discuss that issue.

The President knew he had to get a national and international consensus for his blockade plan. Much work lay ahead before he could address the nation on TV.

* Sources: JFK Presidential Library and Museum; John F Kennedy, by Robert Dallek.

TOMORROW: Kennedy’s broadcast is watched by 100 million Americans.