Newspaper Page Text
Letters
They revive drama of Cuban missile crisis in 1962
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The
once top secret letters began
with “Dear Mr. President” and
“Dear Mr. Chairman,” and
closed with words like “Sin
cerely,” or even “Respectful
ly.”
But in between the saluta
tions were threats and warn
ings which 11 years later revive
the drama and fears of the six
tense days when President John
F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita
Khrushchev clashed over con
struction of Soviet missile bases l
in Cuba.
Ten letters were exchanged
during the missile crisis of
October, 1962. The last four
two from each man—were
made public at the time, but
the seal of secrecy only
recently was lifted from the
first six.
The crisis actually began
about mid-month, when Kenne
dy was called home from a
campaign trip because photo-
Energy
IRS checking fuel price gouging
By WILLIAM CLAYTON
WASHINGTON (UPI) - In
ternal Revenue Service agents
fanned out across the nation
“in force” today investigating
truckers’ complaints of fuel
price gouging.
An IRS spokesman said
Sunday he could not estimate
how many agents would be
patrolling the highways, but
“come Monday morning I
expect they will be out in
force.”
William E. Simon, head of
the Federal Energy Adminis
tration, promised prompt action
against “those who are exploit
ing the current fuel shortage”
after a meeting with IRS
Commissioner Donald Alexand
er and a series of conferences
Christmas.
And Diamond Rings.
JSI wl MMi
•255“ ‘4oo'"'
They go so well together.
Right now at Whitmire’s you’ll find an outstanding
selection, five of which are shown above. Each
stunning mounting is just waiting to be wrapped and
put under the Christmas tree.
■illl 1111 CSjV
Hill Street
Radio /hack
GRIFFIN ELECTRONICS CENTER 217 West Taylor Street Phone 228-2885
"T* SMART SANTAS SHOP EARLY..
• • • and you can k
ggjKgjg CHARGE IT JHHHK
Jaw On yjflßggESSmw/ /
Batteries Cassettes For
' Your New Recorder
8-TRACK STEREO
RECORD/PLAYBACK
tape deck I Jvv rfWBBMHBHMR
CASSETTE TAPE RECORDER
Sl ,K ,MrE "KwIWEK
Turntables
graphs taken from U.S. spy
planes showed work under way
on what military experts said
could only be a nuclear missile
installation in Cuba.
The mystery ended—and the
suspense began—Oct. 22 when
Kennedy went on national
television to tell the American
people he had ordered a naval
“quarantine” of Cuba and had
demanded that Russia disman
tle the installations and remove
the missile components.
One hour earlier he had a
letter delivered to the Russian
Embassy in Washington and
cabled an identical copy to the
U.S. Embassy in Moscow for
delivery to the Kremlin.
“I have not assumed,” he
said, “that you or any other
sane man would, in this nuclear
age, deliberately plunge the
world into war which it is
crystal clear no country could
win and which could only result
in catastrophic consequences to
between representatives of
truckers, Nixon and govern
ment officials.
President Nixon met Satur
day with Frank E. Fitzsim
mons, president of the
Teamsters Union, to hear
truckers’ requests for stricter
controls on diesel fuel costs and
a 60 m.p.h. speed limit on
interstate highways instead of
55 m.p.h. which Nixon propo
sed.
Fitzsimmons’ asked union
and non-union drivers to
discard plans for further road
blockades or stoppages while
Washington tries to solve
complaints.
But the Fraternal Association
of Steel Haulers in Pittsburgh
called for a nationwide truck
the whole world, including the
aggressor.”
In the letter, which began
“Dear Mr. Chairman,” and was
signed “Sincerely,” Kennedy
also said: “I hope that your
government will refrain from
any action which would widen
or deepen this already grave
crisis.”
The Khrushchev reply, re
ceived the following morning,
was addressed “Mr. Presi
dent,” and was signed only
with the name “N. Khrush
chev.” It said:
“I must say frankly that
measures indicated in your
statement constitute a serious
threat to peace and to the
security of nations ...
“We reaffirm that the arma
ments which are in Cuba,
regardless of the classification
to which they belong, are
intended solely for defensive
purposes in order to secure the
Republic of Cuba against the
shutdown Thursday and Friday
to protest fuel shortages for
their vehicles.
A group of independent
truckers also planned a work
stoppage Thursday and Friday
which organizers said could
involve 100,000 drivers.
“Neither Frank Fitzsimmons
nor President Nixon has the
influence or the powers or the
respect to stop the shutdown,”
said Mike Parkhurst, editor of
the industry publication “Over
drive” at a Saturday news
conference.
In other energy-related deve
lopments:
—Russell Train, head of the
Environmental Protection
Agency said Sunday in a UPI
interview that Americans can
expect to breathe dirtier air—
particularly on the East Coast
—as EPA approves permission
-"□IBB S® I
ftlWflW BPCBRFWJ PTS ETE BBS
Hospital Report
Dismissed from the Griffin-
Spalding County Hospital:
Mrs. Phyllis Allen, Mrs.
Arliss Couey, Miss Angela
Hood, Mrs. Annie Brown, Mrs.
Maggie McKibben, Mrs. Eva S.
Valier, Bonnie Diane Whidby,
John Pierce, Mrs. Dorinda
Anderson, Miss Bertha Hardy,
Mrs. Mildred Hightower.
Wallace Arnold, Mrs.
Precious Horton, Mrs. Laurie
H. Brady, Charles Puckett,
Mrs. Gelitha Reid, Mrs. Stella
Burns, Mrs. Inez - Ball, Mrs.
Mary Shepard, Robert Maddox,
Mrs. Lula Bella Thomas, Mrs.
Birdie Osborne, Mrs. Sandra
Milford, Ron Christopher
Miller, Mrs. Sheila Shackelford
and baby.
Mrs. F. Olena Chapman,
Marty W. Bradford, Mrs.
attack of an aggressor....”
Kennedy’s reply, sent the
same day, was brief and curt:
“I think you will recognize that
the step which started the
current chain of events was the
action of your Government in
secretly furnishing offensive
weapons to Cuba. ...
“I hope you will issue
immediately the necessary in
structions to your ships to
observe the terms of the
quarantine... which will go into
effect at 1400 hours Greenwich
time Oct. 24.” It was signed
“Sincerely.”
The Defense Department
estimated that at that time,
about 25 Soviet and satellite
supply ships were heading for
Cuba. Within the next few
hours, 12 of them—presumably
those carrying key military
equipment—changed course to
await the outcome of the
feverish diplomatic activity.
to burn dirtier fuels because of
the energy crisis.
—ln Kuwait, Arab oil produc
ing states said in a Sunday
communique that they will lift
their ban on oil shipments to
the United States the moment
Israel starts withdrawing from
all Arab territory, including
Jerusalem, occupied in the 1967
war. A withdrawal timetable
would have to be guaranteed by
the United States.
—This week the House will
consider its version of the
National Emergency Energy
Act proposed by Nixon and the
administration bill to set up an
independent government agen
cy to oversee energy research
matters.
—The House and Senate will
try to reconcile differences
between their version of a bill
Greatheal Mae Clark, Oscar
Jones, Mrs. Ruby Douglas, Mrs.
Joyce Landers, Ronald
Moreland, Miss Janie Cottrell,
Mrs. Elaine Evans and baby,
Doyle Hudgins, Jerry Merritt,
Leonard Allen, James David
Chambers, Mrs. Allie Gunn,
Harry Stapel.
Mother’s aide
LONDON (UPI) - Queen
Elizabeth’s new aide-de-camp,
a personal honor granted to
nearest members of the sove
reign’s family, is her son
Prince Charles, a Buckingham
Palace spokesman said Sunday
night.
The prince will first wear the
insignia of his new appointment
Tuesday.
The next Khrushchev letter,
received on the morning of the
24th, was the one some White
House sources at the time
described as “hysterical,” ac
cording to press reports.
“Imagine, Mr. President,”
Khrushchev wrote, “that we
had presented you with the
conditions of an ultimatum
which you have presented us by
your action. How would you
have reacted to this? I think
that you would have been
indignant at such a step on our
part...
“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 wish to convince me to
agree to this! ...”
This letter was signed “Re-
bringing back Daylight Saving
Time as a fuel saving measure.
—A special hearing will be
held in the House today on a
proposal to give die Atomic
Energy Commission control of
a S2O billion energy research
program.
—Defense Department energy
experts asked the military to
standardize use of fuels be
cause 35 separate types of eight
basic petroleum products now
are used in the Army, Navy
and Air Force.
—Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-
Mass., told the United Mine
Workers constitutional conven
tion at Pittsburgh Saturday that
the oil industry steered the
White House into the energy
crisis and financed it with a $4
million campaign contribution
to re-elect Nixon.
—Some state officials feel
that the Sunday closing of gas
pumps and reduced highway
speeds limits is saving lives
with fewer traffic accidents.
spectfully yours.”
Kennedy, who was closeted
almost around-the-clock with
his brother Robert and top
administrationand congression
al advisers, wrote a reply
delivered in Moscow at 1:59
a.m. Oct. 25. The tone was
softer:
“I regret very much that you
still do not appear to under
stand what it is that has moved
us in this matter ... In August
there were reports of important
shipments of military equip
ment and technicians from the
Soviet Union to Cuba. In early
September I indicated very
plainly that the United States
would regard any shipment of
offensive weapons as presenting
the gravest issues.
“After that time, this Govern
ment received the most explicit
assurances from your Govern
ment and its representatives,
both publicly and privately,
that no offensive weapons were
being sent to Cuba ...”
It was signed “Sincerely
Yours,” and was a turning
point. By then, U Thant,
secretary general of the U.N.,
urged a cooling off period
during which both great powers
would back off a bit and
negotiate their differences.
Krushchev’s next letter, Oct.
26, was the longest of the
exchange. It urged acceptance
/,—■—
from
Federated
INSURANCE
A C. RAY BARRON
NF. Maria, n
■ armMtn
>1 XT Phone 227-2021
I k Griffin, Georgia
For every gift there’s a perfect card.
Commercial Bank 8 Trust Company
Griffin, Georgia
Page 3
— Griffin Daily News Monday, December 10,1973
of Thant’s plea and it said that
from Kennedy’s most recent
letter he had gotten “the
feeling that you have some
understanding of the situation
which has developed and a
sense of responsibility.”
The basis for settlement of
the crisis was offered (and,
essentially, soon accepted)
when he said: “If assurances
were given by the President
and the Government of the
United States that the USA
itself would not participate in
an attack on Cuba and would
restrain others from actions of
this sort, if you would recall
your fleet, this would immedi
ately change everything ... The
question of armaments would
then also be obviated, because
when there is no threat,
armaments are only a burden
IM SH Hi "
■■ fnl I
vb Jaw ft Jis
II «W1 II I
O II o 11
■! SiSsf II ill
Come dial a color
In a Lady Seiko Fashion Watch
The dials of our Lady Seiko watches come in
delicious colors—to help make these the
most beautiful fashion watches in the world.
What’s your favorite? ... olive green, mid
night blue, wine red, burgundy, burnt umber,
amber, even textured gilt to coordinate
with textured yellow bracelets.
That’s quite a collection of colors and it’s quite
a collection of watches—so come in and start
your Lady Seiko collection today.
left to right,
ZW3SBM. Olive green dial. $89.50.
ZW44OM. Burgundy dial. $69.50.
ZW3S6M. Blue dial. $85.00.
ZWI36M. Burnt umber dial. $69.50.
SHARP'S JEWELERS
118 WEST SOLOMON STREET
for any people ... I have ...
introduced a proposal to dis
band all armies and to destroy
all weapons. How then can I
stake my claims on these
weapons now? Armaments
bring only disasters...
‘‘Let us therefore display
statesmanlike wisdom. I propo
se: We, for our part, will
declare that our ships bound for
Cuba are not carrying any
armaments. You will declare
that the United States will not
invade Cuba ... and will not
support any other forces which
might intend to invade Cuba
Instead of replying directly,
Kennedy acknowledged the
essential acceptance of the
terms in a wire to Thant. The
next day, the 27th, Khrushchev
“went public” with another
letter to Kennedy which was
broadcast on Moscow radio.
He recognized Kennedy’s
‘‘reasonable” approach to
Thant and said “it persuades
me that you are showing
solicitude for the preservation
of peace.”