President Kennedy's Address On Cuba 250126-03 | Footage Farm

If you wish to acquire broadcast quality material of this reel or want to know more about our Public Domain collection, contact us at info@footagefarm.co.uk [1962 - Cuban Crisis: President Kennedy's Address On Cuba. 22Oct62] Pt. 2 of 4 Continued... Only last Thursday, as evidence of this rapid offensive buildup was already in my hand, Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko told me in my office that he was instructed to make it clear once again, as he said his government had already done, that Soviet assistance to Cuba, & I quote: "pursued solely the purpose of contributing to the defense capabilities of Cuba," that, and I quote him, "training by Soviet specialists of Cuban nationals in handling defensive armaments was by no means offensive, and if it were otherwise", Mr. Gromyko went on, "the Soviet Government would never become involved in rendering such assistance." That statement also was false. 12:12:33 Neither the United States of America nor the world community of nations can tolerate deliberate deception & offensive threats on the part of any nation, large or small. We no longer live in a world where only the actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient challenge to a nation's security to constitute maximum peril. Nuclear weapons are so destructive & ballistic missiles are so swift, that any substantially increased possibility of their use or any sudden change in their deployment may well be regarded as a definite threat to peace. 12:13:13 For many years, both the Soviet Union & the United States recognizing this fact, have deployed strategic nuclear weapons with great care, never upsetting the precarious status quo which insured that these weapons would not be used in the absence of some vital challenge. Our own strategic missiles have never been transferred to the territory of any other nation under a cloak of secrecy & deception; and our history - unlike that of the Soviets since the end of World War II - demonstrates that we have no desire to dominate or conquer any other nation or impose our system upon its people. Nevertheless, American citizens have become adjusted to living daily on the bull's-eye of Soviet missiles located inside the USSR, or in submarines. 12:14:09 In that sense, missiles in Cuba add to an already clear and present danger - although it should be noted the nations of Latin America have never previously been subjected to a potential nuclear threat. 12:14:24 But this secret, swift & extraordinary buildup of Communist missiles - in an area well known to have a special & historical relationship to the United States & the nations of the Western Hemisphere, in violation of Soviet assurances, and in defiance of American & hemispheric policy - this sudden, clandestine decision to station strategic weapons for the first time outside of Soviet soil - is a deliberately provocative & unjustified change in the status quo which cannot be accepted by this country, if our courage & our commitments are ever to be trusted again by either friend or foe. 12:15:08 The 1930's taught us a clear lesson: aggressive conduct, if allowed to go unchecked, ultimately leads to war. This nation is opposed to war. We are also true to our word. Our unswerving objective, therefore, must be to prevent the use of these missiles against this or any other country, & to secure their withdrawal or elimination from the Western Hemisphere. 12:15:36 Our policy has been one of patience & restraint, as befits a peaceful & powerful nation, which leads a worldwide alliance. We have been determined not to be diverted from our central concerns by mere irritants & fanatics. But now further action is required & it is under way; and these actions may only be the beginning. We will not prematurely or unnecessarily risk the costs of worldwide nuclear war in which even the fruits of victory would be ashes in our mouth; but neither will we shrink from that risk at any time it must be faced. Continued... Missile Crisis; Cold War; Western Hemisphere; Naval Blockade; Quarantine; 1960s; Presidential Speech; NOTE: Any continuous 10 minutes from entire speech, 12:06:52 - 12:25:34, sold at per reel rate.