The Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 marked a turning point for President John F. Kennedy. His bold but deft diplomacy spared the world a war that might have gone nuclear. Peace proved popular and JFK’s approval ratings soared. Here’s how it started.
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By coincidence I’ve just been reading about this in “Our Man in Haiti: George DeMohrenschild and the CIA” by Joan Mellen.
The “Crisis” really started with a French intelligence agent named Phillippe Vosjoli who became a “project” of James Jesus Angleton.
Pg. 152. “he delivered photographs of MRBM missiles, offensive nuclear missiles, and SAM anti-aircraft rockets to John McCone at CIA.” He delivered a second set to Senator Kenneth Keating of New York. ” On August 31, 1962, on the floor of the Senate, Keating revealed intelligence on the Soviet offensive missiles in in Cuba of which even John F. Kennedy was unaware.” “Those CIA bastards! Kennedy fumed.” “I’m going to get those bastards if it’s the last thing I ever do.” …”with Keating functioning as a shill for the CIA.”
“Later Bobby Kennedy, “getting even,” as he put it, moved to New York, ran against Keating for his Senate Seat – and beat him”.
A further irony, when RFK announced his intention to run for Keating’s Senate seat, ABC reporter Lisa Howard — who’d worked on JFK’s behalf to effect a rapprochement between the US and Cuba in mid-to-late 1963 — organized a group called “Democrats For Keating” with Gore Vidal, who lived in NY State at that time). Then, prior to the press conference at which this group was announced, she rather angrily took Keating to task for his longstanding anti-Castro positions. This foray into politics angered her bosses at ABC, and she was soon fired. She then went into an emotional tailspin, or perhaps it had already begun and simply accelerated at that point. She died less than a year later of a drug overdose.
Unfortunately this scenario is not true.
The first information to reveal Soviet missile personnel in Cuba was not photographic.
So who was the first person to reveal non photographic information on Soviet missile personnel in Cuba? Why is it not true, You don’t respect Ms. Mellen’s sources?
Good ole Manuel Airtime drug dealer especial