On April 17, 1961, 1400 Cuban exiles launched what became a botched invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba.
The Cuban-exile invasion force, known as Brigade 2506, landed at beaches along the Bay of Pigs and immediately came under heavy fire.
Cuban planes strafed the invaders, sank two escort ships, and destroyed half of the exile’s air support. Bad weather hampered the ground force, which had to work with soggy equipment and insufficient ammunition. Read More
The declassified Top Secret pages shown here are from the Cuba Security Folder, 1961. It contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy’s secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Cuba. All 124 pages can be viewed in the digital archive from the JFK Library.
Closing February 3! To The Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis:
A look back at one of the most dangerous two weeks in modern history, this exhibit closes this weekend at the National Archives before moving on to the JFK Library in Boston.
Can’t make it to DC in time? Check out the “To the Brink” iPad App!
Q:Where to find Frost's poem?
Anonymous
We’re guessing this is in reference to yesterday’s reblog of Robert Frost’s poem “Dedication” written for John F. Kennedy’s inauguration from our colleagues at OurPresidents.
If you follow the link in that post, the poem is held by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston and it appears they have plans to put it on display following restoration:
The First Inaugural Poet: Robert Frost
Today, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Richard Blanco as the inaugural poet for Barack Obama’s upcoming ceremony. Blanco will become the fifth inaugural poet in the history of U.S. Presidents.
John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration was the first to feature a poet at the swearing-in ceremony, and he named Robert Frost for the honor.
Frost wrote an original poem for the occasion called “Dedication.” He presented a handwritten version of the poem to President Kennedy. Jacqueline Kennedy framed the poem and wrote on the backside in pencil,
“For Jack. First thing I had framed to be put in your office. First thing to be hung there.”
Frost had planned to read a typed copy of the poem during President Kennedy’s Inauguration, but due to sun glare reflecting off the snow, he was unable to read his own draft. Instead, he recited “The Gift Outright” from memory.
The handwritten poem now resides at the JFK Library in Boston.
Image: Framed poem, “Dedication,” handwritten by Robert Frost for the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy.
Mona Lisa in Washington
For 27 days, the Mona Lisa was lent to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC for a very special one picture loan. This special exhibition was arranged by the White House and was viewed by 518,525 people in Washington before it traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from February 7-March 4, 1963.
Unveiling of the Mona Lisa. President Kennedy, Madame Malraux, French Minister of Cultural Affairs Andre Malraux, Mrs. Kennedy, Vice President Johnson. Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art., 01/08/1963
November 20, 1962 — President Kennedy is all smiles
This is one of our favorite pictures of President Kennedy. Wonder why he looks so happy?
Though the Cuban Missile Crisis came to a peaceful end in October of 1962, as of November, nuclear missiles remained in Cuba and the U.S. naval blockade was still in place. On November 20, 1962 – the day this photo was taken – President Kennedy announced at a press conference that Chairman Khrushchev had agreed to withdraw all of the bombers in Cuba within 30 days, and that the U.S. would lift the blockade. Now that’s something to smile about.
(source: jfklibrary.org)
(Not) Good Eating, Mr. President
President John F. Kennedy received a Thanksgiving Turkey from members of the Poultry and Egg National Board on November 19, 1963.
Although this was before the formal tradition of pardoning a White House turkey each Thanksgiving, President Kennedy spontaneously spared this turkey.
-from the JFK Library
“I must say frankly that measures indicated in your statement constitute a serious threat to peace and to the security of nations. The United States has openly taken the path of grossly violating the United Nations Charter, path of violating international norms of freedom of navigation on the high seas, the path of aggressive actions both against Cuba and against the Soviet Union.”
- Nikita Khrushchev, letter to President Kennedy re: quarantine, 10/23/62
Pictured: Khrushchev’s official letter to President Kennedy. Read the translation here.
The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.
Pages 3 and 4 of Proclamation 3504, authorizing the naval quarantine of Cuba, signed 50 years ago today, October 23, 1962. See the other pages here.
(source: jfklibrary.org)
The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.
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;”
Read the full text of Proclamation 3504 here.
(source: jfklibrary.org)
The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.
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.
(source: jfklibrary.org)
The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.
October 22, 1962 — Day 7 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
President Kennedy writes a letter to Nikita Khrushchev, Premier of the Soviet Union, prior to addressing the American public on live television. In it, he writes:
“I have not assumed 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 the whole world, including the aggressor.”
See the rest of Kennedy’s letter to Khrushchev here.
(source: jfklibrary.org)
The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.
October 21, 1962 — Day 6 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
JFK’s doodles during a meeting regarding US missiles in Turkey. Can you decipher JFK’s writing? Reblog or reply with as many words as you can make out before checking Presidential Secretary Evelyn Lincoln’s official translation.
The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.
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. To avoid public suspicion the president consults his physician and together they fabricate 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.
(source: jfklibrary.org)
The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.
October 18, 1962 — Day Three of the Cuban Missile Crisis
President Kennedy meets with Soviet Ambassador Andrei Gromyko in the Oval Office. The memorandum of the meeting notes the Ambassador’s desire to be open with the United States:
“Mr. Gromyko said he knew that the President appreciated frankness. Mr. Khrushchev’s conversation with the President at Vienna had been frank and therefore, with the President’s permission, he himself wished to be frank, too.”
Despite this promise of openness, Gromyko did not speak about the Soviet missiles in Cuba, unaware that President Kennedy already knew of their existence, but had also chosen not to discuss them.
(source: jfklibrary.org)
The National Archives’ latest exhibit: “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis” covers the 13 days when the world teetered on the brink of thermonuclear war.
