"WE WON'T BE ALIVE TO SAY THEY WERE WRONG"

LEMAY SAYS JFK IN PRETTY BAD FIX

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 19, 1962, the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM) met with President John F. Kennedy at the White House.

The President was presented with a choice of actions that he could order in response to the Soviet Union's placing of offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of the United States.

The choices included a total air strike, a partial air strike and a naval blockade.  Each of these measures posed serious risks.

General Curtis LeMay*, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, turned to President Kennedy and said...

"You're in a pretty bad fix."

After leaving the meeting, JFK said to his aide David Powers...

"These brass hats have a great advantage.  If we...do what they want...none of us will be alive later to tell them...they were wrong." 

JFK+50 NOTE

The Joint Chiefs advised JFK to order a total air strike.  Although the President had not yet made a final decision on October 19, he would ultimately choose (to the dismay of LeMay) the naval blockade option. 

 

*Curtis E. LeMay (1906-1990) was born in Columbus, Ohio & graduated at Ohio State University with a degree in civil engineering.  

CEL designed & implemented a systematic bombing campaign on Japan in WWII & led the Berlin Airlift of 1948.  He was Air Force Chief of Staff 1961-1965. 

 

 

 

Curtis E. LeMay

USAF Photo

  

"YOU'RE IN A PRETTY BAD FIX, MR. PRESIDENT"

COMPLETE AIR STRIKE, SURGICAL AIR STRIKE OR BLOCKADE, OH MY!

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 19, 1962, the fourth day of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Air Force General Curtis LeMay* said to his Commander-in-Chief, President John F. Kennedy,..."You're in a pretty bad fix."

General LeMay, who was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was making reference to the fact that Soviet missile sites had been discovered by US photographic surveillance in Cuba just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

JFK would have to select from a number of response proposals by the Executive Committee of the National Security Council.  These responses included a complete air strike, a surgical or partial air strike and a naval quarantine or blockade of Cuba.

With the possibility that Soviet nuclear missiles could potentially hit directly any one of the 48 continental states, it would be safe to say that it wasn't just the President who found himself "in a pretty bad fix."**

*Curtis E. LeMay (1906-1990) was born in Columbus, Ohio & graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in civil engineering.  He designed & implemented a systematic bombing campaign on Japan in WWII & after the war led the Berlin Airlift & reorganized the Strategic Air Command.

**The recordings of the meeting reflect a lesser degree of hostility in the remark than we had first thought from the transcript alone and the scene produced in the movie "13 Days".   JFK's voice seems non- confrontational when he responds to LeMay's remark by saying..."Well, you're in there with me. Personally!"

General Curtis E. LeMay

 USAF Photo

THESE BRASS HATS HAVE ONE GREAT ADVANTAGE...

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2474

IF WE DO WHAT THEY WANT, NONE OF US WILL BE ALIVE TO TELL THEM THEY WERE WRONG

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-five years ago, October 19, 1962, Air Force General Curtis LeMay*, on the fourth day of the Cuban Missile Crisis, said to President John F. Kennedy,..."You're in a pretty bad fix."

General LeMay, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was making reference to the fact that Soviet missile sites had been discovered by US photographic surveillance in Cuba just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

JFK would have to select from a number of response proposals by the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, or EXCOMM.  These responses included a complete air strike, a surgical or partial air strike and a naval quarantine or blockade of Cuba.

With the possibility that Soviet nuclear missiles could potentially hit directly any one of the 48 continental states, it would be safe to say that it wasn't just the President who found himself "in a pretty bad fix."**

*Curtis E. LeMay (1906-1990) was born in Columbus, Ohio & graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in civil engineering.  He designed & implemented a systematic bombing campaign on Japan in WWII & after the war led the Berlin Airlift.

**The recordings of the meeting released by the JFK Library, in JFK+50's opinion, reflect a much lesser degree of hostility in the remark than we had previously thought from the transcript alone and the scene produced in the movie "13 Days".

JFK's voice seems not at all sarcastic or confrontational when he responds to LeMay's remark by saying..."Well, you're in there with me...personally!"
Some chuckles can be heard following JFK's remark on the recording.  After JFK left the meeting, however, he told Dave Powers...

"These brass hats have one great advantage in their favor.  If we listen to them and do what they want...none of us will be alive later to tell them that they were wrong."

General Curtis E. LeMay

 USAF Photo

MISSILE CRISIS DAY 4

JFK+50:  Volume 5, No. 1748

JFK FINDS HIMSELF IN A PRETTY BAD FIX

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-three years ago today, the fourth day of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Air Force General Curtis LeMay* said to his Commander-in-Chief, President John F. Kennedy,..."You're in a pretty bad fix."

General LeMay, who was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was making reference to the fact that Soviet missile sites had been discovered by US photographic surveillance in Cuba just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

JFK would have to select from a number of response proposals by the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, or EXCOMM.  These responses included a complete air strike, a surgical or partial air strike and a naval quarantine or blockade of Cuba.

With the possibility that Soviet nuclear missiles could potentially hit directly any one of the 48 continental states, it would be safe to say that it wasn't just the President who found himself "in a pretty bad fix."**

*Curtis E. LeMay (1906-1990) was born in Columbus, Ohio & graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in civil engineering.

He designed & implemented a systematic bombing campaign on Japan in WWII & after the war led the Berlin Airlift & reorganized the Strategic Air Command.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff he opposed the idea of a naval blockade, favoring instead a military strike.

In 1968, he ran on the American Independent Party ticket with George Wallace.


**The recordings of the meeting released by the JFK Library, in JFK+50's opinion, reflect a much lesser degree of hostility in the remark than we had previously thought from the transcript alone and the scene produced in the movie "13 Days".

JFK's voice seems not at all sarcastic or confrontational when he responds to LeMay's remark by saying..."Well, you're in there with me. Personally!"

Some chuckles can be heard following JFK's remark on the recording.  After JFK left the meeting, however, he told Dave Powers..."These brass hats have one great advantage in their favor.  If we listen to them and do what they want...none of us will be alive later to tell them that they were wrong."

General Curtis E. LeMay

 USAF Photo

WORST DEFEAT IN OUR HISTORY

LEMAY CALLS CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS OUTCOME WORST DEFEAT IN OUR HISTORY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 28, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis ended after thirteen days during which the world teetered on the edge of nuclear war.

At 9 a.m. Eastern time, Soviet announcer Yuri Levitan spoke these words on Radio Moscow...

"In order to eliminate...the conflict which endangers the cause of peace...the Soviet government...has given a new order to dismantle the weapons (in Cuba)...and to crate and return them to the Soviet Union."

Premier Nikita Khrushchev said, later in the message, that he was assured by President John F. Kennedy's  letter of October 27, 1962, that the United States would not invade Cuba.

JFK said to Dave Powers... "I feel like a new man now.  Do you realize we had an air strike all arranged?  Thank God, it's all over."

While most EXCOM members were pleased with the resolution of the crisis, the Joint Chiefs were not.  General Curtis LeMay* called it..."The worst defeat in our history."**

Early on in the crisis, President Kennedy had been told by General Lemay... "You're in a pretty bad fix."  The Commander-in-Chief shot back..."Well, you're in there with me. Personally!"

After the meeting, President Kennedy said to Dave Powers...

"These brass hats have one great advantage in their favor.  If we listen to them and do what they want...none of us will be alive later to tell them that they were wrong."

Newsman Tom Wicker wrote...

"As far as public perceptions in this country were concerned, it was generally viewed that bold, brave John F. Kennedy had faced (the Soviets) down. By the time of his death, (JFK) was still regarded as victor of the missile crisis."

*Curtis E. LeMay (1906-1990) was born in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in civil engineering.He designed and implemented a systematic bombing campaign on Japan in WWII and after the war led the Berlin Airlift.  

General Curtis E. LeMay

USAF Photo

**General Maxwell Taylor told JFK the afternoon before Radio Moscow's broadcast that the Joint Chiefs were calling for massive air strikes by the morning of October 29th "unless there is evidence...that the weapons are being dismantled."

SOURCES

"'Let Us Begin Anew,'  An Oral History of the Kennedy Presidency," by Gerald S. and Deborah H. Strober, Harper and Collins Publishers, New York, 1993.

"One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro On the Brink of Nuclear War," by Michael Dobbs, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2008.

                  

              

CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS: DAY 13

DAY 13 OF 13 DAY CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS 51 YEARS AGO TODAY!

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 51 years ago today, October 28, 1962, was the 13th and final day of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the world has come to nuclear war.

Radio Moscow transmitted a message from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev announcing the decision which would end the crisis.

The announcement, which began at 9 a.m. Eastern time, was made by Yuri Levitan who said:

"In order to eliminate...the conflict which endangers the cause of peace...the Soviet government...has given a new order to dismantle the weapons (in Cuba)...and to crate and return them to the Soviet Union."

Premier Khrushchev said, later in the message, that he was assured by President John F. Kennedy's  letter of October 27, 1962, that the United States would not invade Cuba.

The message concluded...

"We are confident that reason will triumph, that war will not be unleashed and peace and the security of the peoples will be insured."*

JFK called the Soviet decision "statesmanlike."

The President said to Dave Powers...

"I feel like a new man now.  Do you realize we had an air strike all arranged?  Thank God, it's all over."

While most EXCOM members were pleased with the resolution of the crisis, the Joint Chiefs were not.  General Curtis LeMay called it...

"The worst defeat in our history."**

Press Secretary Pierre Salinger later recalled...

"It was not a case of 'We won; they lost.'  That was Kennedy's strong point from the minute the crisis came to an end.  

He called me in and said...

'This is not our victory; this is a joint victory of the two nations; we did it together.  Don't let anybody go out and say this was America's victory."

Newsman Tom Wicker, on the other hand, said...

"As far as public perceptions in this country were concerned, it was generally viewed that bold, brave John F. Kennedy had faced (the Soviets) down. 

Certainly by the time of his death, (JFK) was still regarded as victor of the missile crisis."

*The decision had been presented earlier to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.  Khrushchev told them that there was a..."danger of war and nuclear catastrophe, with the possibility of destruction of the human race.  To save the world, we must retreat."

**General Maxwell Taylor told JFK the afternoon before Radio Moscow's broadcast that the Joint Chiefs were calling for massive air strikes by the morning of October 29th "unless there is evidence...that the weapons are being dismantled."


SOURCES

"'Let Us Begin Anew,'  An Oral History of the Kennedy Presidency," by Gerald S. and Deborah H. Strober, Harper and Collins Publishers, New York, 1993.

"One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro On the Brink of Nuclear War," by Michael Dobbs, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2008.