Letters: Nov. 9, 1962

• Share

Cuba & Beyond

Sir:

Some of President Kennedy's critics have made the charge that he withheld announcement of the Cuban blockade until it was politically advantageous. There can be no doubt that Kennedy is a master politician, but to suggest that he would gamble with the security of this country to further selfish political ends is not only asinine but naive as well.

Those who make assertions of this nature are, in effect, denying a fundamental principle of this country: the President's position as spokesman for and protector of the people of the U.S. Even the most inept of our leaders have not forsaken this trust.

JAMES R. HAWKES

Park Forest, Ill.

Sir:

President Kennedy's action in finally heeding the voters' demands to face up to the Cuban situation has renewed my faith in the American political system.

If there is a victor, it is the American citizen, and if there is a hero, it is the same American citizen who, after forcing a reluctant President into action, backed him 100% and proved to Mr. Khrushchev the extent of U.S. determination.

A. W. KALEY

Normandy, Mo.

Sir:

You certainly have to hand it to the Kennedy Image Department. They even had the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. at the right place at the right time.

If Jack Kennedy would promote the U.S.A. as he does J.F.K., we would be sitting pretty.

CARL W. SUDHOFF

New York City

Sir:

Seldom in our country's history has the foreign policy stance advocated by one group been so completely vindicated as has that of America's right wing by events of Oct. 22-28.

If Mr. Kennedy had taken the advice of conservatives long ago instead of maligning them at every opportunity, the experience would have been much less traumatic for the American people.

JERRY C. DAVIS

Washington, D.C.

Sir:

I was outraged and angered today reading your comments on the Cuban crisis. As an American I cannot believe that two weeks before election the President finally "discovered" the presence of the Russian missiles on Cuba, which suddenly prompted this drastic measure. I have more confidence in our intelligence service than you have.

DAN O. FEDASH

Los Angeles

Sir:

The reasoning by which you conclude that we are nice enough to have missiles and nobody else is would make Hitler jealous.

May the American people be content with having punched both Castro and Khrushchev in the nose and got away with it, and direct Politician Kennedy to devote our considerable might to the promotion of peace rather than deliberate aggression and war provocation.

RAY L. BURGGRAF

Lakewood, Ohio

Sir:

Mr. Khrushchev's backing down to the U.S. is rather disappointing. I had stopped studying, and was prepared to enlist whenever necessary. Now I must start studying again.

RON HART ('65)

University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn.

Sir:

Fair enough—the U.S. has to invade Cuba's right to trade freely in order to protect American interests.

But why couldn't you Yanks have granted Britain and France this same concession in a somewhat similar situation at Suez?

A. J. CAMPBELL

Rawene, New Zealand

Sir: