Kennedy’s masterly sleight of hand

Guy Baker is correct to point out that Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s offer to dismantle the Russian nuclear missile site in Cuba carried the condition that America did the same with its missile site in Turkey. This was agreed to, but then kept secret from the public at the request of Kennedy in 1962 and only revealed just before Khrushchev’s death in 1971.

But the Turkish withdrawal didn’t constitute humiliation for America. Instead, this clever ploy by Kennedy achieved the West’s first public victory of the Cold War over the Soviet-led communists. With the trade-off kept quiet, it was viewed all over the world as a great defeat for the Soviets and contributed to Khrushchev’s fall two years later. Khrushchev was pensioned off in humiliation, but before drawing his last breath he felt compelled to reveal his side of the deal.

The last thing I expected was for anyone, especially an American, to take away rare credit due to America.

Songdej Praditsmanont