E 0 DECLf SIFlED '-- ps s2 ' • 3 1 rnJ 5 01 Of - ' t_ l REH - EYES ONLY r • _ J- _ B 'If R3 C' -1 - fr t - -_ '- __ r - Dear Mr President I have revi• wed the planning thus far ind h tvc t he following cor1 1rnents for you As I have said I think your personal emissaries should deliver your messages to C and K There is no disagreement 1 s to C As to K an emissary could better supplement the gravity of the situation you ha· e communicated to Gromyko Anrl t i king with K 1 vould afford a ch an c e of u n c o v e r i n g hi s m o ti v e s a n d o Ii c c ti v e s fa r b c t t e r than co -respondence thru the usurll chann01s As o your 2 nnouncern12nt assun ing it 1 ccorrics irnpe r itive to say something soon I think it vo11ld be a mist 1 ke rtt this ti ne to disclose th it i_ n a t tac k Va s i m rn i n e n t rl n d that me re 1y re c i ti n g th s f i_ c ts e m p ha s i z i n g th c g r a vi t y of the s i t 11 at i on a n d that f i r the r s t e p s V e re i n process wuuld be enough for the first announcement 1 I3 c 1 u s e r1 n attack w o u 1d v e r y 1i k e 1y re s u 1t in So vi e t re p ri s al s s om e v h c re - Turkey Berlin etc -- it is most in1p0rt nt that Ve have as much of the t o rl d • vi th us as po s s i b 1e To s ta r t o r r i 5 k s t i r Li n g a nu cl e a r • 2 r is 6011nd to be divisive at best 2 nd the judgments of history sr-ldom coincide vri th the tern p rs of the mom r n t If var comes in the lnng run 11Jr r2 se rn11st ri st on stopping v hile th re vas still tirne the Sovi•·t dr·i· ·c to · orld dmni 2 tion our obligations und r the Inter- rn - rir n syste n etc We must be pr c pa re d f o r t I- e ' I i d c s p r a d r c a c ti on th a t i f v c have a rn i s s i le b a s e in Turkey and oth r places a round the Soviet Union surely they ha vr a right to one in Cuba If · e attack Cu½a an ally of the USSR isn't an ittack on NATO bases equally justified One could go on and on While the explanation if our action n1ay be clear to us it v on 't be cl e a r to many o th c r s • f f 0 re c v e r if w a r i s the con s e 1 u e n c e the Latin American republics may • ell divide and some say th2 t the U S is not acting · vi th their a ppr oval and consent Li ke- vi se unJess the issue is very clear there may be sharp differences i ith ou Ve stern Allies v- ho have liv d so 1ong unde the same thre2 t of So - i -- - t tack from b a s e s i n th s ate l li t e o ' · t r i s by the s rt m e I RB M s • But all these consid rations and c-bst cles t_o clear and universal understanding that we are neither rash impetuous or indifferent to the fate of others are r realize only too farn liar to you YWC 9 f - EYES ONLY OECl SSIF £ 0 11652 Sec O 3 and 5 0 Of ell _ _ By _ _ • -··· ur RS ·----· ·-·- Qa e - -2- ' - EYES ONLY I know your dilemma is to strike before the Cuhan sites are operational or to rL·k waiting until a proper groundwork of justification can be prepared The national security must come first But the means adopted have suc r incalculable consequences that I feel you should have made it clear hat the existence of nu dear missile bases anywhere is negotiable before we start anything Our position then is that • e can't negrJtiat ·1 ith a gun at our head a gun that imperils t w innoc nt hr__•lpl• SS C uh -tn pi ople 1 s much as it does the U S ar d that if they ' t on 't rerno· 'c the n1i ssiles and r I' s to re the s t a t ·1 s quo t1 n t e ' ' e · vi 11 ha v e t o do i t o u r s e 1v e s - 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