T he Sumner Sentinel © September - October 2019 Volume VI Number 5 The Cuban Missile Crisis - Armageddon Loomed The confrontation is often considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. In a televised address on Oct. 22, 1962, Presi- Early on the morning of Oct. 16, 1962, dent John F. Kennedy revealed to the American National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy public that U.S. surveillance aircraft had detected showed the aerial photographs to Kennedy, the presence of Soviet missile bases in Cuba, trig- thus marking the beginning of the 13-day gering the so-called Cuban missile crisis. Cuban missile crisis. How Did Kennedy Learn What Response Did the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Cuban Missile Sites? Recommend? Prior to October 14, 1962, there had been In the wake of the missile discovery, Kennedy a lull of roughly six weeks during which the called together a meeting of the nine members United States flew no of the National Security aerial reconnaissance Council along with five missions using high-fly- other key advisers. ing U-2 jets over Cuba. They mulled a wide ar- Responding to anec- ray of responses that the dotal reports of missile- United States might take. like objects being The options ranged from doing nothing or moved along Cuban taking a diplomatic ap- roads under cover of proach on up to an aerial darkness, such recon- assault on the missile naissance flights re- sites coupled with a land- This monument at San Cristobal in Cuba sumed on Oct. 14. based attack on Cuba. marks the site of a medium-range ballistic mis- When the photos The Joint Chiefs of sile base taken during that flight Staff advocated the most were reviewed, CIA analysts detected the hawkish approach to the dilemma, unanimously presence of what they believed were medium- recommending a full-scale attack and invasion as range ballistic missiles capable of hitting the only real solution to the problem. See Armageddon Page 4 multiple targets in the United States. Page 1 Reunion Association President’s message . Officers Greetings to all President. I hope this letter finds everybody is doing well and looking Frank DiBello forward to the fall weather. [email protected] We have been struggling this year try- 1st Vice President ing to find suitable-affordable accommo- Pete Hart dations for our reunion in Nashville. [email protected] Many thanks goes out to Pete Hart, 2nd Vice President Pete Dromms, Frank Embrey and Rich- Frank Embrey [email protected] ard Dedcovick (USS Moale DD-693) for stepping up and helping us find a suit- (Still) Past President Bob Kelly able reunion site. [email protected] I would like to ask everyone in the future before you suggest a reunion Secretary Scott Kopfstein site, that you do some research into the [email protected] Frank DiBello reunion site that you would like to go to. We are having a very hard time this year Treasurer because of many obstacles ,i.e. the cost of hotels in Nashville are Pete Dromms very high. The majority of hotels that have conference rooms, [email protected] hospitality rooms and restaurants are cost prohibitive for our Chaplain group. The majority of them will not allow us to bring in our own James Gorman food, snacks, etc. especially alcohol beverages. [email protected] In order to help us keep the costs down, I am asking you to Master-At-Arms please check on the criteria we require before you suggest a loca- Pete Dromms tion. [email protected] Some of the major criteria are: Historian 1.Hotel location- do they have airport shuttles, shuttle service Fred Willshaw to local destinations, do they have handicap accessible rooms, [email protected] do they have an in-house restaurant, do they have banquet facili- Directors/Terms Expire ties that can comfortably accommodate 100 people and a second room that can accommodate 80 people for the hospitality room John Hruska and will they allow us to bring in our own food and drinks, do - 2020 - [email protected] they have ample parking, and is there a charge for parking. 2.What sights and entertainment are available in the area. Daniel Barrs 3. Are there any military bases nearby, with a chapel for our - 2021 - memorial service - possibility of obtaining an honor guard for [email protected] memorial service. Joe Drabick 4. What transportation services are available for the memorial - 2022 - service and tours. [email protected] Page 2 way, and the White House had for months denied charges that it was ignoring dangerous Soviet missiles 90 miles from Florida. The missile preparations were confirmed when an Air Force U-2 spy plane produced clear photographic evidence of medi- um-range (SS-4) and intermedi- ate-range (R-14) ballistic missile By Don Hayden TM3 (1961-62) facilities. The US established a naval “This is not a drill, this is not a drill; General blockade on Oct. 22 to prevent Quarters, General Quarters; All hands man your further missiles from reaching Cuba; Oval Office battle stations!” tapes during the crisis revealed that Kennedy had After steaming around Cuba in what was to be also put the blockade in place as an attempt to later call the missile crisis by the same name, that provoke Soviet-backed forces in Berlin as well. phrase over the loud speaker got my adrenalin The US announced it would not permit of- pumping. fensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and I think I made it from my third division bunk demanded that the weapons already in Cuba be beneath the mess deck to the torpedo deck and dismantled and returned to the Soviet Union. the mounts in record time. As late as the Oct. 21, the paramount concern The Sumner crew knew to be on the lookout for being that once the blockade was put into effect, ships such as Russian trawlers, tankers and the the Soviets would rush to complete some of the like bound for Cuba with what could be nuclear missiles. missiles. Consequently, the US could find itself bombing Fortunately none were found but the whole operational missiles if blockade failed to force thing could have gone a different way. Khrushchev to remove the missiles already on the In response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion island. of 1961 and the presence of American Jupiter bal- On Oct. 25 at 1:45 am EDT, Kennedy respond- listic missiles in Italy and Turkey, Soviet leader ed to Khrushchev’s telegram by stating that the Nikita Khrushchev agreed to Cuba’s request to US was forced into action after receiving repeated place nuclear missiles on the island to deter a assurances that no offensive missiles were be- future invasion. ing placed in Cuba, and when the assurances An agreement was reached during a secret proved to be false, the deployment “required the meeting between Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in responses I have announced. I hope that your July 1962, and construction of a number of mis- government will take necessary action to permit a sile launch facilities started later that summer. restoration of the earlier situation.” The 1962 United States elections were under See Edit Desk, See Page 5 Page 3 Armegeddon: Continued from Page 1 Confronted by two U.S. naval vessels (An Es- sex-Class Carrier and an Allen M. Sumner Class What Strategy Did JFK Decide to Follow? destroyer) on Oct. 25, the tanker continued to Already burned by the disastrous Bay of Pigs steam toward Cuba, and was allowed to do so by invasion in April 1961, Kennedy was extremely naval officers who in the end decided that it was wary of following the hawkish recommendations unlikely the tanker contained offensive equipment. of his top military advisers. Elsewhere, the situation continued to deterio- He decided to adopt a more measured response rate. CIA surveillance indicated that work was to the Cuban missile threat, ordering a naval continuing on the Cuban missile sites, and on blockade of Cuba, designed to block and turn back October 27, a U-2 spy plane was shot down over any ship carrying offensive military equipment to Cuba. the island nation. Kennedy authorized the U.S. military to pre- In his Oct. 22 nationwide address, he announced pare for a possible attack on Cuba. In the mean- the blockade and also stated that it would hence- time, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev said his forth be U.S. policy “to regard any nuclear missile country would remove the missiles from Cuba if launched from Cuba against any nation in the the United States would remove its missiles from Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Turkey and Italy. Union on the United States. .” Just when it seemed that the crisis would end How Was the Crisis Finally Resolved? in conflict, the U.S. and Soviet Union struck an In the immediate wake of Kennedy’s announce- accord under which the latter would dismantle its ments, some Soviet ships bound for Cuba ap- missiles in Cuba in return for a U.S. pledge not to peared to turn around and head back to their home invade the island. ports. Not so for one Soviet tanker named the Bucharest. Continued on next page Page 4 Secretly, the United States also pledged to re- resolved, nuclear tactical rockets stayed in Cuba move its offensive missiles in Turkey and southern since they were not part of the Kennedy-Khrush- Italy, but because this part of the deal remained chev understandings and the Americans did not secret, to the world at large it seemed as if the know about them.