SOVIET SHIPS BOUND FOR CUBA; U.S. SETS UP NAVAL BLOCKADE
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) More than twenty Soviet ships are "streaming toward Cuba" today, October 23, 1962, reports The Evening Star.
The Russian vessels may be heading toward "a possible clash with American warships deployed to block delivery of 'offensive military equipment' to the island."
President John F. Kennedy announced on national radio and television last evening that the United States was responding to the discovery of Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba with a naval quarantine, or blockade.
The intention of the quarantine is "to stop the buildup of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba."
President Kennedy has also ordered all American armed forces to "prepare for any eventualities."
The Star reports that the President "hinted" at the possibility of a U.S. military invasion of Cuba "if necessary."
The Kennedy administration calls upon the Soviet Union to withdraw their medium-range rockets from the island and "refrain from further action to widen or deepen the present crisis."
SOURCE
"20 Red Ships Head for Cuba; Kremlin Sees Threat of War," by Earl H. Voss, The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., October 23, 1962, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
