"IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL ITS OVER!"

SIX SOVIET SHIPS STOP SHORT OF QUARANTINE LINE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 24, 1962, Day 9 of the Cuban Missile Crisis, six Soviet ships approaching the Quarantine Line 500 miles east of Cuba, according to CIA director John McCone, "stopped or reversed direction."

The news was relayed to the Cabinet Room at The White House where the Executive Committee of the National Security Council was in session.

Having come dangerously close to the start of a nuclear war, Secretary of State Dean Rusk said...

"We stood eyeball to eyeball.  The other fellow just blinked."

JFK+50 NOTE

At a dinner that evening, journalist Charles Bartlett proposed a toast to celebrate to which JFK responded, "You don't want to celebrate in the game this early," or as Yogi Berra put it, "It ain't over 'til its over!"

SOURCE

"We Stood Eyeball to Eyeball," JFK+50, October 24, 2014, www.jfk50.blogspot.com/

Navy P-211 Neptune Flying Over a Soviet Freighter

US Navy Photo

1962

"THE OTHER FELLOW JUST BLINKED"

SIX SOVIET SHIPS STOP OR REVERSE DIRECTION AT QUARANTINE LINE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 24, 1962, President John F. Kennedy was informed by CIA Director John McCone*, at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, that 22 Soviet ships were headed toward the "Quarantine Line" 500 miles East of Cuba.

Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, with additional information, said that two of these ships were approaching the line with a Soviet submarine in between.

This was a critical point in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Updates were being sent in during the meeting, and McCone was alerted that six of the Soviet ships had stopped or reversed direction.

With that, Secretary of State Dean Rusk said these memorable words...

"We stood eyeball to eyeball and the other fellow just blinked." 

 

*John Alexander McCone (1902-1991) was born in San Francisco, CA & educated at University of California Berkely.  JAM was Under Secretary of the Air Force under Truman & Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission under Eisenhower.  He was Director of CIA (1961-1965) & was awarded the Hoover Medal in 1964.

 

SOURCE

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

   

 

 

P-2H Neptune Over Soviet Ship

October 1962

U.S. Navy Photo

 
 

WE STOOD EYEBALL TO EYEBALL & THE OTHER FELLOW JUST BLINKED

SOVIET SHIPS STOP OR REVERSE DIRECTION 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 53 years ago today, October 24, 1962, began the ninth day of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the world has come to nuclear war.

The Executive Committee of the National Security Council met at 10 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White House.The meeting began with CIA Director John McCone reporting that 22 Soviet ships were heading for the Quarantine Line 500 miles east of Cuba.

Later, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara relayed information that two Soviet ships, Kimovsk and Yuri Gagarin, were approaching the line with a Soviet submarine in between.

When John McCone broke the news that six Soviet ships had "either stopped or reversed direction,"  Secretary of State Dean Rusk said...

"We stood eyeball to eyeball and the other fellow just blinked."

In the evening, JFK enjoyed a private late night dinner with Mrs. Kennedy and close friends including journalist Charles Bartlett.  When Mr. Bartlett proposed a toast to celebrate the day's events, the President said....

"You don't want to celebrate in the game this early."

According to Michael Dobbs, evidence now available proves the Soviet "turnaround" was actually done on Tuesday morning, October 23, 1962, or 24 hours before the EXCOM meeting of the 24th.

Dobbs says that historians  "failed to use these records to plot the actual positions of Soviet ships on the morning of Wednesday, October 24, 1962."

SOURCES

Michael Dobbs, One Minute to Midnight, 2008.

James M. Lindsay, TWE Remembers, 10/24/2012.

EXCOM Meeting

October 1962

Photo by Cecil Stoughton

JFK Library Photo

                        

US ATTACK ON CUBA WOULD RESULT IN SOVIET REPRISALS

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2474

NUCLEAR MISSILE BASES IN CUBA ARE NEGOTIABLE?

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy received a letter from UN Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson fifty-five years ago today, October 17, 1962,  asking him to speak to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev about the presence of nuclear missile bases in Cuba.

Mr. Stevenson wrote...

"(It) should (be) made...clear that the existence of the nuclear missile bases is negotiable.  Because a (U.S.) attack would very likely result in Soviet reprisals...it is important that we have as much of the world with us as possible.  To start...a nuclear war is bound to be divisive at best and the judgments of history seldom coincide with the tempers of the moment."

According to James M. Lindsay on "The Water's Edge,"  EXCOM met at 8:30 a.m. in the State Department on October 17, 1962. While the President did not attend this meeting, most of the participants believed Premier Khrushchev had put the missiles in Cuba to put pressure on our position in West Berlin. 

JFK directed CIA Director John McCone, who attended the EXCOM meeting, to go to Gettysburg to brief former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

According to the JFK Library, United States military units began to move to bases in the Southeast after new photographs showed additional missile sites, along with 16 to 32 missiles, in Cuba.

The President observed the National Day of Prayer at St. Matthews Cathedral, had lunch with Crown Prince Hasan of Libya & made a political trip to Connecticut.

SOURCES

"The Kennedys:  A Chronological History," by Harvey Rachlin, World Almanac, New York, 1986.

"Thirteen Days in October:  Day 2, October 17", John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, www.microsites.jfklibrary.org/

"TWE Remembers: JFK Solicits Ike's Advisers, Cuban Missile Crisis Day 2," www.blogs.cfr.org 

WE STOOD EYEBALL TO EYEBALL

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 2108

SOVIET SHIPS STOP OR REVERSE DIRECTION UPON APPROACHING QUARANTINE LINE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-four years ago today, October 24, 1962, was the ninth day of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the world has come to nuclear war.

The Executive Committee of the National Security Council met at 10 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White House.  The meeting began with CIA Director John McCone reporting that 22 Soviet ships were heading for the Quarantine Line 500 miles east of Cuba.

Later, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara relayed information that two Soviet ships, Kimovsk and Yuri Gagarin, were approaching the line with a Soviet submarine in between.

When John McCone broke the news that six Soviet ships had "either stopped or reversed direction,"  Secretary of State Dean Rusk said...

"We stood eyeball to eyeball and the other fellow just blinked."

In the evening, the President enjoyed a private late night dinner with Mrs. Kennedy and close friends including journalist Charles Bartlett.  When Mr. Bartlett proposed a toast to celebrate the day's events, the President said....

"You don't want to celebrate in the game this early."

According to Michael Dobbs, evidence now available proves the Soviet "turnaround" was actually done on Tuesday morning, October 23, 1962, or 24 hours before the EXCOM meeting of the 24th.

Dobbs says that historians  "failed to use these records to plot the actual positions of Soviet ships on the morning of Wednesday, October 24, 1962."

SOURCES

Michael Dobbs, One Minute to Midnight, 2008.

James M. Lindsay, TWE Remembers, 10/24/2012.

EXCOM Meeting

October 1962

Photo by Cecil Stoughton

JFK Library Photo

                        

MISSILE CRISIS DAY 2

JFK+50:  Volume 5, No. 1746

UN AMBASSADOR SAYS SOVIET NUCLEAR BASES IN CUBA ARE NEGOTIABLE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy received a letter from UN Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson 53 years ago today, October 17, 1962,  asking him to speak to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev about the presence of nuclear missile bases in Cuba.

Mr. Stevenson wrote...

"(It) should (be) made...clear that the existence of the nuclear missile bases is negotiable.  Because a (U.S.) attack would very likely result in Soviet reprisals...it is important that we have as much of the world with us as possible.  To start...a nuclear war is bound to be divisive at best and the judgments of history seldom coincide with the tempers of the moment."

According to James M. Lindsay on "The Water's Edge,"  EXCOM met at 8:30 a.m. in the State Department on October 17, 1962. While the President did not attend this meeting, most of the participants believed Khrushchev had put the missiles in Cuba to put pressure on our position in West Berlin. 

JFK directed CIA Director John McCone, who attended the EXCOM meeting, to go to Gettysburg to brief former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

SOURCES

"The Kennedys:  A Chronological History," by Harvey Rachlin, World Almanac, New York, 1986.

"TWE Remembers: JFK Solicits Ike's Advisers, Cuban Missile Crisis Day 2," www.blogs.cfr.org 

SECOND DAY OF CUBAN CRISIS

CRISIS IN CUBA: DAY 2

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-two years ago today, on October 17, 1962, 

President John F. Kennedy received a letter from Adlai Stevenson, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, asking him to speak to Premier Nikita Khrushchev about Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Mr. Stevenson wrote...

"(It) should (be) made...clear that the existence of the nuclear missile bases is negotiable.  Because an attack would very likely result in Soviet reprisals...it is important that we have as much of the world with us as possible.  To start...a nuclear war is bound to be divisive at best and the judgments of history seldom coincide with the tempers of the moment."

According to James M. Lindsay on "The Water's Edge,"  EXCOM met at 8:30 a.m. in the State Department on October 17, 1962.

Mr. Lindsay writes that JFK was not present at this meeting but most of the participants, including CIA director John McCone, believed Premier Khrushchev had put the missiles in Cuba to put pressure on our position in West Berlin.

Lindsay also says that JFK directed Mr. McCone to go to Gettysburg to brief former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

SOURCES

"The Kennedys:  A Chronological History," by Harvey Rachlin, World Almanac, New York, 1986.

"TWE Remembers: JFK Solicits Ike's Advisers, Cuban Missile Crisis Day 2," www.blogs.cfr.org 

TURNING POINT OF THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

Saratoga, New York (JFK+50) 237 years ago today, October 17, 1777, British General John Burgoyne was forced to surrender his entire army to the Continentals under General Horatio Gates here at Saratoga.

Four days befpre, Burgoyne had been surrounded by 20,000 American troops.
Unable to hold out any longer or escape the trap, General Burgoyne agreed to terms marking the first surrender of a British force in the Revolutionary War.

Historians have determined that the Battle of Saratoga represents the turning point of the Revolutionary War.  Shortly afterwards, the French signed a treaty of alliance with the United States providing military aid to the Americans.

Battle of Saratoga

Commemorative Stamp (1927)

YUGOSLAVIA'S PRESIDENT VISITS 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy welcomed the President of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito* and his wife, Jovanka, to the White House fifty-one years ago today, October 17, 1963.

During a ceremony on the South Lawn, JFK said...

"We are glad to have you here...so you can see something of the United States.  I am glad you are going to the South and then to the West.  This is a vigorous and progressive people that you will see."

Later at a White House luncheon, JFK said...

"You have an extraordinary career in war and in peace, and while there are differences in viewpoint which separate our governments, nevertheless, this administration....believe(s) strongly in the independence of your country and...the extraordinary efforts you are making  to maintain that independence..."

The Titos and the Nixons

October 28, 1971

White House Photo

*Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980) was born in Croatia-Slavonia and joined the Austrio-Hungarian army in 1913.  He fought against the Russians in WWI and became a POW.   After the war, he became leader of "the most effective anti-Nazi resistance movement in Europe."  Tito served as President of the Communist League of Yugoslavia from 1939 to 1980.

CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS: DAY 2

DAY 2 OF 13 DAY CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS 51 YEARS AGO TODAY!

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 51 years ago today, October 17, 1962, was the second day of what would be the 13 day Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the world has come to nuclear war.

President John F. Kennedy received a letter from Adlai Stevenson, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, asking him to talk directly to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev about the missiles in Cuba.

Mr. Stevenson also said that JFK "should have made it clear that the existence of the nuclear missile bases is negotiable." 

The Ambassador continued...

"Because an attack would very likely result in Soviet reprisals...it is important that we have as much of the world with us as possible.  

To start...a nuclear war is bound to be divisive at best and the judgments of history seldom coincide with the tempers of the moment."

According to James M. Lindsay on "The Water's Edge,"  EXCOM* met at 8:30 a.m. in the State Department on Oct. 17, 1962.

*EXCOM or EXCOMM, Executive Committee of the National Security Council.

Mr. Lindsay says that JFK was not present at this meeting but most of the participants, including CIA director John McCone, believed Premier Khrushchev had put the missiles in Cuba to put pressure on our position in West Berlin.

According to Lindsay, McGeorge Bundy, JFK's adviser on national security, left this meeting early to go over to the White House to brief the President.

Lindsay also says that JFK directed Mr. McCone to go to Gettysburg to brief former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

JFK continued his day on schedule.  

Events included signing a bill to establish the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and giving speeches at Democratic rallies in Waterbury and New Haven, Connecticut.

SOURCES

"The Kennedys:  A Chronological History," by Harvey Rachlin, World Almanac, New York, 1986.

"TWE Remembers: JFK Solicits Ike's Advisers, Cuban Missile Crisis Day 2," www.blogs.cfr.org 


JFK WELCOMES TITO TO WHITE HOUSE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy welcomed the President of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito and his wife, Jovanka, to the White House 50 years ago today, October 17, 1963.

During a ceremony on the South Lawn, JFK said...

"We are glad to have you here...so you can see something of the United States.  I am glad you are going to the South and then to the West.  This is a vigorous and progressive people that you will see.

I think your visit here will give you a greater understanding of the policies and objectives and meaning of the United States of America."

Later at a White House luncheon in the State Dining Room, JFK said...

"You have an extraordinary career in war and in peace, and while there are differences in viewpoint which separate our governments, nevertheless, this administration....believe(s) strongly in the independence of your country and...the extraordinary efforts you are making  to maintain that independence..."

The Titos and the Nixons

Truman Balcony, The White House

October 28, 1971

White House Photo

**Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980) was born in Croatia-Slavonia and joined the Austrio-Hungarian army in 1913.  He fought against the Russians in WWI and became a POW.  

After the war, he joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and became the leader of "the most effective anti-Nazi resistance movement in Europe."  Tito served as President of the Communist League of Yugoslavia from 1939 to 1980.

JFK+50 NOTE:

We have updated our recent post on Tennessee Hero Alvin York by adding two photographs we took at the York Grist Mill in Pall Mall, Tennessee in the 1980s.  Follow the link below.

http://jfk50.blogspot.com/2013/10/tennessees-alvin-york-hero.html

SOVIET SHIPS BOUND FOR CUBA STOP OR TURN BACK

Wednesday, October 24, 1962

SOVIET SHIPS BOUND FOR CUBA STOP OR TURN BACK

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) During a critical briefing at the White House today by CIA director John McCone, a message was delivered from the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Mr. McCone, who was handed the message by an aide, read it & then said:

"Mr. President...all six Soviet ships...in Cuban waters...have either stopped or reversed course."*

                      Navy P-2H Neptune
             Flying Over a Soviet Freighter
                    US Navy Photo, 1962

Dean Rusk, JFK's Secretary of State, said:

"We're eyeball to eyeball, & the other fellow just blinked."

Having put in a full day dealing with the crisis, the President enjoyed a private late night dinner with Mrs. Kennedy & close friends including journalist Charles Bartlett.

At one point, Mr. Bartlett proposed a toast to celebrate the day's events.  JFK responded:

"You don't want to celebrate in the game this early."

*The CIA identified 22 Soviet ships heading for Cuba, 2 of which were approaching the blockade line 500 miles off the East coast of the island.

Khrushchev had ordered his ships to turn around "shortly after Kennedy's nationwide televised address" announcing the quarantine of Cuba.

Sources:  Michael Dobbs, One Minute to Midnight, 2008.

James M. Lindsay, TWE Remembers, 10/24/2012.