Dedicated to our nation's 35th president and all those who, through the art of politics, seek a new and better world.
October 20, 1962 – Day 5 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
President Kennedy, in Chicago campaigning for congressional candidates, decides to return to the White House as the crisis reaches a new urgency. Many historians have speculated that the president, his press secretary, Pierre Salinger, and his physician fabricated the diagnosis of a cold, allowing JFK to return to Washington without arousing panic. A quick glance at Presidential Secretary Evelyn Lincoln’s day planner proves Kennedy was quite busy during his supposed sick days.
October 22, 1962 – Day 7 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
As President, John F. Kennedy was the ultimate arbiter of American foreign and military policy. But there were still a number of former presidents he could consult with, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In a phone conversation, Kennedy asks Eisenhower what he believes the chances are that Russia would launch a nuclear weapon if the United States invaded Cuba.
October 23, 1962 – Day 8 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
President Kennedy signs Proclamation 3504, authorizing the naval quarantine of Cuba. The four-page proclamation included this forceful statement in the second paragraph:
“The United States is determined to prevent by whatever means may be necessary, including the use of arms, the Marxist-Leninist regime in Cuba from extending, by force or the threat of force, its aggressive or subversive activities to any part of this hemisphere, and to prevent in Cuba the creation or use of an externally supported military capability endangering the security of the United States;”
On October 28, 1962, the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis came to an end. In the late hours of October 27, Robert Kennedy secretly met with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin, and the two reached a basic understanding:
The Soviet Union would withdraw the missiles from Cuba under United Nations supervision in exchange for an American pledge not to invade Cuba. In an additional secret understanding, the United States agreed to eventually remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey.
October 22, 1962 – Day 7 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
At 7:00 p.m. President Kennedy makes a televised address, revealing the evidence of Soviet missiles in Cuba and calling for their removal. He also announces the establishment of a naval quarantine around the island until the Soviet Union agrees to dismantle the missile sites and to make certain that no additional missiles are shipped to Cuba. Near the conclusion of his speech, JFK says this:
“My fellow citizens: let no one doubt that this is a difficult and dangerous effort on which we have set out. No one can see precisely what course it will take or what costs or casualties will be incurred. Many months of sacrifice and self-discipline lie ahead–months in which our patience and our will will be tested–months in which many threats and denunciations will keep us aware of our dangers. But the greatest danger of all would be to do nothing.”
Listen to JFK’s address and read the full transcript here. Watch a video of JFK’s address here.
By Dana Bronson and Stacey Chandler, Archives
Reference
On October 14, 1962 an American spy plane photographed
the construction of missile sites in Cuba - the result
of an agreement between Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev and Cuba leader
Fidel Castro, made after the failed U.S. invasion of Cuba’s Bay of Pigs in
1961. The photographs showed that the new missile sites, built with supplies
sent by Khrushchev, could be capable of launching thermonuclear weapons into
the United States.
President John F. Kennedy and his advisers held hours
of secret meetings in the two weeks that followed. Some of
his aides encouraged attacking Cuba with an invasion or air strikes, and others
argued for a naval “quarantine” to block Soviet ships from bringing more
military supplies to Cuba. The President chose the quarantine, and gave
a speech on October 22 to tell the world about the
missile sites – and what the administration planned to do about them.
After the speech, thousands of people wrote to the
White House with their suggestions, criticisms, and concerns. Their letters are
now part of the Public Opinion Mail collection at the JFK Library Archives, and
we’re working
on preserving and organizing them for the first time.
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Citizens across the country offered their opinions throughout
the crisis – especially about the President’s quarantine decision. Some
appreciated what they saw as a cautious approach by the administration, while
others worried that the blockade itself could lead to a nuclear World War III.
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Other writers urged the President to take an
aggressive stance and order a full invasion or attack on Cuba.
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As tensions rose, the press began
reporting on possible compromises: if the U.S. would withdraw its own missiles
from Turkey, the Soviet Union might dismantle its Cuban missile sites. Another
proposed solution, advocated by United Nations Secretary General U Thant, suggested that Cuba halt construction in exchange for an
American promise to stop the naval quarantine. Other proposals involved giving
up the U.S. Military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Some citizens who wrote to
the President encouraged him to consider these potential resolutions.
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But many writers, including some former
residents of Cuba, cautioned the President against making any deals with
Khrushchev or Castro.
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The Cuban Missile Crisis came to a resolution at the
end of October, when it was announced that the Soviet Union would dismantle its
Cuban missile sites, while the U.S. would lift the quarantine and pledge never
to invade Cuba. In a behind-the-scenes deal that would stay secret for over 25
years, the Kennedy administration also agreed to remove American missiles from
Turkey. But while the crisis was over, it remained on the minds of many
Americans; the White House continued to receive letters about it for the rest
of the Kennedy Presidency.
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Spanning roughly 120 boxes in the library’s Public
Opinion Mail collection, the Cuban Missile Crisis letters document perspectives
that are often overlooked in the telling of this and other famous Cold War histories,
including the fears, hopes, and thoughts of ordinary Americans who found
themselves living through a tumultuous period.
At 8:45 AM on October 16, 1962, National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy alerted President Kennedy that a major international crisis was at hand. Two days earlier, a United States military surveillance aircraft had taken hundreds of aerial photographs of Cuba, which showed conclusive evidence that a Soviet missile base was under construction near San Cristobal, Cuba.
Discussions began on how to respond to the challenge. Two principal courses were offered: an air strike and invasion, or a naval quarantine with the threat of further military action. To avoid arousing public concern, President Kennedy maintained his official schedule, meeting periodically with advisors to discuss the status of events in Cuba and possible strategies.
October 24, 1962 – Day 9 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Nikita Khrushchev writes an incensed response to President Kennedy’s October 23rd letter announcing the naval quarantine of Cuba.
“You, Mr. President, are not declaring a quarantine, but rather are setting forth an ultimatum and threatening that if we do not give in to your demands you will use force. Consider what you are saying! And you want to persuade me to agree to this! What would it mean to agree to these demands? It would mean guiding oneself in one’s relations with other countries not by reason, but by submitting to arbitrariness. You are no longer appealing to reason, but wish to intimidate us.”
October 16, 1962 - Day One of the Cuban Missile Crisis
A declassified map of the Western hemisphere showing the full range of the nuclear missiles under construction in Cuba, used during the secret meetings on the Cuban crisis.
October 18, 1962 – Day 3 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Memorandum written by Ted Sorensen following an ExComm meeting in which President Kennedy and his advisers have narrowed their options regarding Cuba to only two: Blockade or invade.
by Emily Mathay and Stacey Chandler, Archives Reference
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At 10 p.m. on February 14th, 1962, Jacqueline Kennedy brought millions of people into the country’s most famous house with her television special A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy. Hosted by the First Lady and CBS correspondent Charles Collingwood, the tour was the public’s first look at Jacqueline Kennedy’s famed White House restoration project. After the broadcast aired, thousands of people wrote to the White House with their opinions. Their letters are now in the archives at the JFK Library, where we’re working on preserving them.
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Image: A sampling of items archivists have removed from letters during preservation of the White House Public Opinion Mail.
By 1962, many Americans knew about Jacqueline Kennedy’s project to fill the White House with antiques from the time of its original construction; she had already helped create the White House Historical Association, the Fine Arts Committee, and the position of White House Curator. But her televised tour showcased the results of all that work for the first time, and invited the world to hear about the history she chose to preserve. The broadcast led many viewers to write to the White House with their own views about history – and the way political figures discussed it.
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Most of the letters noted Jacqueline Kennedy’s appearance in some way, offering praise or criticism of her style, expressions, and tone of voice.
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Some messages offered thoughts (positive and negative) about the content of the tour itself, including personal connections to the history and art the First Lady talked about.
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Others sent in clippings of positive reviews, requested for photographs of the First Family, or asked questions the tour hadn’t quite answered for them. A common question from kids who watched the black-and-white broadcast: are rooms like the Red Room really decorated in the colors they are named after?
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Throughout the boxes of letters, one unexpected figure pops up: Astronaut John Glenn, who blasted into space in the Mercury capsule Friendship 7 just six days after the First Lady’s tour. Letters to the White House often comment on both the White House Tour and Glenn’s success, creating a documentary record of public reaction to both the intimate and the (quite literally) ‘out of this world.’
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A month after the broadcast, a new Nielson report noted that the number of White House visitors in the first week of March had increased by over 5,000 from the previous year. Though we can’t be sure that the dramatic uptick was a result of the First Lady’s broadcast, letters from the public reflect an overwhelmingly positive response to the preservation of the nation’s past even as it began to explore the new frontiers of the future.
![Typed letter dated March 24, 1962 addressed to the President: "While I was viewing the TV picture shown with your wife on a tour of The White House, and she explaining in detail the history relative to each room, pieces of furniture, picture, photograph, etc., it came to my thought what an undertaking and how much she has accomplished in such a short time, together with the knowledge she has acquired regarding each article. Her countenance fairly beamed with enthusiasm and joy like she was satisfied with her venture, and I, for one, am certainly glad that she wanted to follow thru with this right idea or desire. She appeared most proper, in every sense of the word, pertaining to her attire, manner, etc., and I know you have every reason to be extremely proud of her. I think she is a gallant and courageous American woman manifesting good judgement, wisdom and culture. Oh, that there were many more women in America expressing these fine qualities of admiration. P.S. If I had an opportunity to [see] the TV film shown for the second time, I would enjoy it all over again."](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f7cedcf096add062c07dc9b08aa2137e/217dfc2954cb9f41-d8/s540x810/a3f96ae21a7bb2354fb8f88ca07e941f3a6d27ac.jpg)
![Handwritten letter to JFK sent from a child in Watertown, Wisconsin, dated March 27, 1962: "I enjoyed the tour of the White House. I [wonder] if the Red Room was red. I do not [know] if it was Red [because] I do not have a [color] tv. Write soon."](https://64.media.tumblr.com/611ceb637f36d4678be27e2f2120e0eb/217dfc2954cb9f41-c4/s540x810/1703c922fade75df68d51e2750b78ee6fe1a4388.jpg)
![Handwritten letter on lined paper sent to JFK from a child in Union City, New Jersey: "I am very happy Mr. Glenn made it. Some day I will go in orbit [too]. I saw the White House and it is pretty and so is Mrs. Kennedy." At the bottom of the page is a crayon drawing of the space ship that launched John Glenn and a NASA building.](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f6af1b75447e9b749d0d8112c22e2f8f/217dfc2954cb9f41-c6/s540x810/3e3a945149218f4e931bdbb360c1517ea37d8c58.jpg)
