JFK PRESENTED EVIDENCE OF SOVIET NUCLEAR MISSILES IN CUBA
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On the morning of October 16, 1962, "the CIA's chief photo interpreter hovered over (President) John F. Kennedy's
shoulder. Arthur Lundahl held a pointer in his hand, ready to reveal a secret that would bring the world to the edge of nuclear war."
Before showing the pictures to JFK, Art Landahl* labeled them with captions which read...ERECTOR LAUNCHER EQUIPMENT, MISSILE TRAILERS, TENT AREAS.
JFK was informed that the photographs, taken from U-2 overflights, revealed Soviet medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) sites were under construction on the island of Cuba just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
Mr. Lundahl was accompanied by his "missile man," technical expert Sidney Graybeal**. The President asked... "Are these missiles ready to be fired?"
His advisers replied... "We don't know." It was a vital point. If the missiles were armed with nuclear warheads, they could have been fired in a matter of hours.
The President first heard about the missiles three hours earlier when his national security adviser, McGeorge Bundy, came to his bedroom at the White House with the news. To keep this from the press, JFK would follow his regular schedule for the day.
*Arthur S. Lundahl (1915-1992) was born in Chicago and received his B.S. and M.S. in Geology from the University of Chicago in 1939 and 1942.He founded
the CIA's National Photographic Interpretation Center in 1961 and was the chief organizer of imagery intelligence for the Agency. ASL, who lived on Chestnut Street in East Bethesda, MD, was given a personal commendation by JFK after the missile crisis. He died at the age of 77.
**Sidney N. Graybeal (1925-1998) described as an American hero in peace and war, served as a B-29 pilot in WWII and had 40 years of experience in arms control, intelligence and national security by the time of his retirement.
SOURCES
"One Minute To Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War," by Michael Dobbs, published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2008.
"Spies in East Bethesda," by Marcie Sandalow, www.eastbethesdamdrealestateblog.com/
CIA Photo
October 14, 1962
JFK Library Image
