ADLAI WON'T LET SOVIET AMBASSADOR OFF THE HOOK
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 25, 1962, Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson questioned Soviet ambassador Valerian Zorin on his denial that the USSR had put nuclear missile sites in Cuba.
Stevenson began his remarks by asking...
"Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the USSR has placed and is placing, medium and intermediate range missiles and sites in Cuba?"
Zorin was waiting to hear the translation of Stevenson's question in his earpiece, when Stevenson added...
"Yes or no---don't wait for the translation--yes or no?"
Zorin, taken aback by Stevenson's tactic, replied...
"I am not in an American courtroom, sir, and I do not wish to answer a question put to me in the manner in which a prosecutor does."
Stevenson responded...
"You are in the courtroom of world opinion right now, and you can answer yes or no. You have denied that they exist, and I want to know if I have understood you correctly."
Zorin countered...
"Continue with your statement. You will receive your answer in due course. Do not worry."
To which Stevenson responded...
"I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over if that's your decision."
SOURCES
"'Let Us Begin Anew': An Oral History of the Kennedy Presidency, by Gerald S. and Deborah H. Strober, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 1993.
"One Minute To Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro On The Brink of Nuclear War" by Michael Dobbs, Alfred Knopf, New York, 2008.
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 25, 1962, Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson questioned Soviet ambassador Valerian Zorin on his denial that the USSR had put nuclear missile sites in Cuba.
Stevenson began his remarks by asking...
"Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the USSR has placed and is placing, medium and intermediate range missiles and sites in Cuba?"
Zorin was waiting to hear the translation of Stevenson's question in his earpiece, when Stevenson added...
"Yes or no---don't wait for the translation--yes or no?"
Zorin, taken aback by Stevenson's tactic, replied...
"I am not in an American courtroom, sir, and I do not wish to answer a question put to me in the manner in which a prosecutor does."
Stevenson responded...
"You are in the courtroom of world opinion right now, and you can answer yes or no. You have denied that they exist, and I want to know if I have understood you correctly."
Zorin countered...
"Continue with your statement. You will receive your answer in due course. Do not worry."
To which Stevenson responded...
"I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over if that's your decision."
SOURCES
"'Let Us Begin Anew': An Oral History of the Kennedy Presidency, by Gerald S. and Deborah H. Strober, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 1993.
"One Minute To Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro On The Brink of Nuclear War" by Michael Dobbs, Alfred Knopf, New York, 2008.
Adlai E. Stevenson
June 23, 1961
Library of Congress Photo
