DAY TWELVE |
October 27, 1962: BLACK SATURDAY |
“Radio Moscow [broadcasts] a message from Premier Khrushchev. In contrast to the private message of the day before, the
new message calls for the dismantling of U.S. missile bases in Turkey in return for the removal of the Soviet missiles in Cuba. The original copy of Khrushchev’s last letter to President Kennedy is delivered to the U.S. embassy in Moscow” (Chang and Kornbluh).
new message calls for the dismantling of U.S. missile bases in Turkey in return for the removal of the Soviet missiles in Cuba. The original copy of Khrushchev’s last letter to President Kennedy is delivered to the U.S. embassy in Moscow” (Chang and Kornbluh).
Excerpts from "Premier Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy":
"Cuba cannot be equated with you since the difference in magnitude is so great, particularly in view of modern means of destruction. Our aim has been and is to help Cuba, and no one can dispute the humanity of our motives, which are oriented toward enabling Cuba to live peacefully and develop in the way its people desire."
"How are we, the Soviet Union, our Government, to assess your actions which are expressed in the fact that you have surrounded the Soviet Union with military bases; surrounded our allies with military bases; placed military bases literally around our country; and stationed your missile armaments there? Your missiles ... are aimed against us. Your missiles are located in Turkey"
"You are disturbed over Cuba... But Turkey adjoins us; our sentries patrol back and forth and see each other. Do you consider, then, that you have the right to demand security for your own country and the removal of the weapons you call offensive, but do not accord the same right to us?"
"I therefore make this proposal: We are willing to remove from Cuba the means which you regard as offensive. We are willing to carry this out and to make this pledge in the United Nations. Your representatives will make a declaration to the effect that the United States, for its part, considering the uneasiness and anxiety of the Soviet State, will remove its analogous means from Turkey."
“The new letter sets the stage for a protracted ExComm discussion, which continues throughout the day, about how to respond, with the president stating that to go to war with the Soviet Union instead of accepting a trade would be “an insupportable position” (Chang and Kornbluh).
"Despite the new intelligence on the imminent threat to the U-2 spy planes, the U.S. Strategic Air Command decided to proceed with a mission over eastern Cuba by Maj. Rudolf Anderson" (NSA).
"The appearance of a U-2 over eastern Cuba alarmed Soviet generals as it coincided with the movement of a Soviet cruise missile unit to the vicinity of the Guantanamo naval base" (NSA).
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Upon sighting the U2 plane, "The commander of Soviet anti-aircraft forces, Gen. Stepan Grechko stated... 'I think that we should give the order for downing the American plane, as he could discover our positions in depth, and Washington will be informed about the intelligence data in a few hours'” (NSA).
"[Cuban General] S.N. Grechko announced... the order for the plane's destruction... the U-2 plane was transmitted to the command point for the Air Defenses. The anti-aircraft forces fulfilled the order immediately. The American plane, piloted by Major Anderson, was hit by SAM missiles" (NSA).
"President Kennedy's letter to Major Anderson's wife":
"I was deeply shocked by the loss of your husband on an operational flight on Saturday, October 27th, 1962." |
“If the Cubans were shooting at our planes, then we were going to shoot back” - Robert Kennedy (Memorandum for the Secretary of State from the Attorney General, NSA).
"Memorandum for the Secretary of State from the Attorney General" (National Security Archives).
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"Memorandum for the Secretary of State from the Attorney General":
“He should understand that if they did not remove those bases then we would remove them. His country might take retaliatory action but he should understand that before this was over, while there might be dead Americans there would also be dead Russians.” |
"President Kennedy decides not to retaliate but agrees that if any more surveillance planes are fired on over Cuba, the SAM sites would be attacked. Kennedy’s order to call off the planned reprisal is reportedly received with disbelief in the Pentagon. Most of the long meeting, however, centers on formulating a response to Khrushchev’s most recent proposal. President Kennedy... continually favors trading away the missiles in Turkey for those in Cuba as Khrushchev has offered – possibly because he secretly has hinted to the Soviet government through Robert Kennedy and Anatoly Dobrynin on October 26 that the United States would agree to such a deal. However, most of the group argues that an open trade could fragment the NATO alliance. As the meeting progresses, the idea of ignoring Khrushchev’s new proposal and responding only to the October 26 letter (which did not mention the Jupiters) gradually begins to emerge. President Kennedy, initially hesitant to accept the idea because he does not believe Khrushchev would accept such a deal, finally agrees when Soviet specialist Llewellyn Thompson argues that Khrushchev might. The president refines the letter, has it typed, and signs it. The letter is sent that evening” (Chang and Kornbluh).
"President Kennedy's October 27 letter to Chairman Khrushchev":
"I have read your letter of October 26th with great care and welcomed the statement of your desire to seek a prompt solution to the problem.The first thing that needs to be done ... is for work to cease on offensive missile bases in Cuba and for all weapons systems in Cuba capable of offensive use to be rendered inoperable." |