DAY TWO |
October 17, 1962 |
"To keep the discussions from being inhibited, and because Kennedy did not want to arrest attention, he decided not to attend all the meetings of our committee. This was wise. Personalities change when the President is present, and frequently even strong men make recommendations on the basis of what they believe the president wishes to hear. He instructed every to come forward with recommendations for one course or possibly several alternative courses of action" -Robert Kennedy (Kennedy)
"Adlai Stevenson [United States Ambassador to the UN] writes to President Kennedy that world opinion would equate the U.S. missiles stationed in Turkey with Soviet bases in Cuba. Warning that U.S. officials cannot 'negotiate with a gun at our head'" (Chang and Kornbluh).
"Adlai Stevenson's letter to JFK pushing for negotiation" (U.S. Department of State).
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"Adlai Stevenson's Letter to JFK":
"Because an attack would very likely result in Soviet reprisals elsewhere-- Turkey, Berlin, etc.-- it is most important that we have as much of the world with us as possible. To start or risk starting a nuclear war is bound to be divisive at best and the judgements of history seldom coincide with the tempers of the moment." |