No. 149. Telegram From President Kennedy to the Under Secretary of State (Ball) and the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
United States · 1900AUTHOR — United States
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Telegram From President Kennedy to the Under Secretary of State (Ball) and the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
149\. Washington, November 5, 1962.
CAP 55515-62. Deliver immediately to Executive Secretariat for Ball and Alexis Johnson. Begin message: Your conversation with Kuznetsov (1) shows progress on one important point but raises a number of questions on which I wish to comment.
If we can see and count for ourselves departing missiles and associated equipment, that will be an important forward step and we see promise in the procedures Kuznetsov proposed as long as it is clear that reliable observation, not Soviet photography alone, is essential. End of message.
1 Presumably a reference to the discussion in Document 142. Back
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Cuba, General, 11/1/62-11/6/62. Top Secret; Operational Immediate; Urgent. This message was ostensibly from Bromley Smith, but it was sent apparently at the instruction of the President. The following times are handwritten on the source text: 3:30 p.m., 4:05, 4:35. It was received in the White House situation room at 5:20 p.m.