Sixty years ago, October 22nd 1962, the world was perilously close to nuclear Armageddon with the Cuban Missile Crisis. With Vladimir Putin threatening to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, those 13 dramatic days long ago are brought back with a stark reminder of how close we came then, and what risks the entire world faces today. While JFK demonstrated leadership and resolve in the face of this crisis, there was a Quid Pro Quo most Americans have little or no knowledge of involving not only concessions to Khrushchev and the USSR, but steps taken by JFK that actually created the crisis in the first place. This involved my father, a Logistics and Supply officer with the US Air Force and Strategic Air Command, and 30 nuclear armed Jupiter missiles he helped manage in Italy, aimed at the heart of the Soviet Union.
As an "Air Force Brat" at seven years old, having already lived in Japan and bases in the United States, moving to Italy was yet another grand adventure for my family. Getting off the plane in Taranto, Southern Italy, Dad greeted us with a tiny poodle hidden in his jacket, "Shoo Shoo" we called him because he chewed on all everything, but he preferred our shoes! We piled in to our VW bus and drove to our new home, an enchanting villa draped in brilliant red bougainvillea flowers from the ground up, with orange, lemon, pomegranate, banana and fig trees all around the walls inside our gate. The Villa was one hundred meters from the Gulf of Taranto, down a dusty dirt road, often filled with herders tending to their sheep bleating and filling the air with that delightful musty odor. I often ran down that road, leaping into the crystal clear turquoise waters teeming with every imaginable form of sea life.
Our villa was surrounded by grape orchards on three sides, as our landlord was a wine merchant. The very first week I was there, I was invited to leap over the fence by workers to join them on a horse drawn wagon I was staring at in wonder, carrying a huge barrel where grapes were being tossed, with two young women, smiling broadly, skirts hiked up, stomping barefoot, pressing the grapes down in preparation for their processing. My lifelong fascination for winemaking was born that day. Across the street was an ancient olive orchard, with dozens of trees whose gnarled, weathered branches cast shade over what seemed to be an endless field of bright crimson poppy flowers stretching off into the distance. The ensuing five years that I had the incredible privilege to live in Italy instilled in me what Albert Camus often referred to as the "Mediterranean Sensibility," a simple, yet at the same time, complex amalgamation of the food, climate, culture and environment of the region. Little did I know at the time that the reason for me experiencing this idyllic existence that had a huge impact on the rest of my life was also the reason humanity itself was nearly extinguished.
In 1961, pursuant to an aggressive policy of building up our nuclear capabilities, and the containment of the Soviet Union, President Kennedy deployed intermediate range nuclear missiles, 30 in Italy at Gioia del Colle and 15 in Turkey with the capacity to reach Western USSR including Moscow. These were pre silo ICBM, above ground Jupiter missiles, and were seen as controversial and provocative by some members of Congress, who worried about a preemptive response from the Soviets. Because of this deployment, the Soviets assumed this signaled an American intent for a first strike, as these clumsy immobile weapons had no deterrent value. Khrushchev, responding to this perceived threat made his move deploying his own nukes whose geo positioning proximity mirrored ours in Europe where he was known to have said "They have surrounded us." His decision was further emboldened by Kennedy's well known desire to vanquish Castro, having invaded Cuba the year before as well as deploying a vast array of assassination attempts and espionage initiatives against Castro's regime.
Kennedy's response, a full blockade and an immediate demand for the missiles to be removed from Cuba led some analysts at the time to see his actions as an act of war itself, and the world held its breath. There were key advisors pressing for an invasion which would have triggered a full scale war with the USSR. Armageddon. Some speculated his response was purely political, not wanting to be seen as weak, or in any way capitulating to the Soviets. What actually transpired with missiles in Cuba amounted to parity on first strike capabilities and was seen as a further deterrent to anyone taking a first strike according to some military analysts at the time. How ironic. The widely accepted version of these events by most Americans to this day was JFK with a backbone of steel and unimpeachable resolve staring down the big bad Soviets, forcing their hand to capitulate. "He blinked" Secretary of State Dean Rusk was quoted as saying referring to Khrushchev. The reality was a carefully orchestrated, discreet diplomatic engagement and a behind the scenes agreement for both sides to disarm, closing the bases in Italy and Turkey, and the removal of all missiles from Cuba. The world could breathe easy once again. These facts remained hidden from the world for decades.
Historians will continue to hash out the intricacies of the many decisions that were made under unbearable pressure in those heady days long ago. JFK, in spite of any controversial decisions he may have made in 1962 remains to many as a remarkable leader and an inspiring figure who did demonstrate courage and resolve, ultimately negotiating us away from the unthinkable. A memorable moments of my life was meeting him at the US Embassy in Rome where my father was transferred following the closure of his base to serve as a Department of Defense Liaison to NATO. It was his JFK's first stop on his European trip before traveling to Berlin where his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" "I am a Berliner" speech was made. He met a small group of Embassy Staff and their families at a small reception where I had the honor as a starstruck 10 year old to shake his hand and say hello.
My father, already a War Hero, receiving the Bronze Star for valor saving a dozen sailors trapped on a burning, sinking ship which had been hit by a Kamikaze attack in WWII received a Letter of Commendation from Secretary of Defense McNamara and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maxwell Taylor in 1963 for his part in "Connection with the removal of Jupiter Missiles in Italy and Turkey. Following his service at the US Embassy in Rome, he was transferred to Strategic Air Command Headquarters in Bellevue Nebraska where he was also commended by the Defense Department for his work on the Minuteman Missile Program. Our last posting was at Yokota AFB in Tokyo Japan where I went to High School, Dad was honored there by the Commander in Chief as the "Outstanding Supply Officer of the Year" for the entire US Air Force.
The circumstances surrounding the current threat by Putin are completely different than they were in 1962 with the Russian land grab and its scorched earth policies aggressively targeting civilians raising questions about their capacity for rational action. This is the principle reason for concern, as a desperate leader may make desperate moves regardless of the consequences for the rest of the world. We can only hope and pray it will not come to that, and we once again will emerge from the brink intact yet again as a species, giving us another chance. How we manage that chance is the real question.
(Article changed on Oct 23, 2022 at 8:35 PM EDT)
