Aug. 29, 1962 - JFK on Soviet Buildup in Cuba

Aug. 29, 1962 - President Kennedy firmly rejected today Congressional suggestions that the U.S. invade Cuba because of the alleged presence there of Soviet combat troops. Mr. Kennedy said at his news conference that the U.S. still had “no evidence” that Communist bloc troops were in Cuba and that the Government continued to believe that the military personnel arriving there were advisers. He went on to say that an invasion would be “a mistake” and added that all U.S. actions in relation to Cuba must be considered within “the totality of our obligation” in the world. The latest suggestion for an invasion of Cuba was made earlier this week by Sen. Homer E. Capehart (R-Ind.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Capehart had urged an invasion to halt what he called the flow of Soviet troops and supplies to Cuba. Later in the day, Sen. Alexander Wiley of Wisconsin, the ranking Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee, urged creation of an inter-American “peace fleet” to prevent shipments of Communist military supplies to Cuba. The President said: “We are continuing to watch what happens in Cuba with the closest attention.” Intelligence estimates are that 2,500 Communist bloc military technicians and 3,000 Communist civilian technicians are in Cuba.

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