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Two principal courses were offered: an air strike/invasion or a naval quarantine with the threat of further military action. To avoid arousing public concern, Kennedy maintained his official schedule, met periodically with advisors to discuss the status of events in Cuba and possible strategies.
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American military units began moving to bases in the Southeastern U.S. President Kennedy attended a brief service at St. Matthew's Cathedral in observance of the National Day of Prayer. After, he had lunch with Crown Prince Hasan of Libya, and then made a political visit to Connecticut in support of Democratic congressional candidates.
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President Kennedy attended a brief service at St. Matthew's Cathedral, in observance of the National Day of Prayer. After, he had lunch with Crown Prince Hasan of Libya, and then made a political visit to Connecticut, in support of Democratic congressional candidates.
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It came to Kennedy's attention that Soviet aid to Cuba was purely defensive and didn't represent a threat to the United States. Kennedy, without revealing what he knew of the existence of the missiles, read to Gromyko his public warning of September 4 that the "gravest consequences" would follow if significant Soviet offensive weapons were introduced into Cuba.
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While in Washington, Kennedy's advisers continued the debate over the necessary and appropriate course of action.
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After five hours of discussion with top advisers, Kennedy and the advisers decided on the quarantine. Plans for deploying naval units were drawn and work began on a speech to notify the American people.
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Sweeney told Kennedy that an air strike could not guarantee 100% destruction of the missiles.
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Kennedy formally established the Executive Committee of the National Security Council and instructed it to meet daily during the crisis. Kennedy briefed the cabinet and congressional leaders on the situation. Kennedy also informed British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan of the situation.
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Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson, laid the matter before the U.N. Security Council. The ships of the naval quarantine fleet moved into place around Cuba. Soviet submarines threatened the quarantine by moving into the Caribbean area.
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"You, Mr. President, are not declaring a quarantine, but rather are setting forth an ultimatum and threatening that if we do not give in to your demands you will use force. Consider what you are saying! And you want to persuade me to agree to this! What would it mean to agree to these demands? It would mean guiding oneself in one's relations with other countries not by reason, but by submitting to arbitrariness. You are no longer appealing to reason, but wish to intimidate us."
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Kennedy drafted a letter to Premier Khrushchev, again urged him to change the course of events. Meanwhile, Soviet freighters turned and headed back to Europe. The Bucharest, carrying only petroleum products, were allowed through the quarantine line. U.N. Secretary General U Thant called for a cooling off period, which was rejected by Kennedy because it would leave the missiles in place.
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A Soviet-chartered freighter was stopped at the quarantine line and searched for contraband military supplies; none were found and the ship was allowed to proceed to Cuba. Fidel Castro wrote a private letter to Nikita Khrushchev to initiate a nuclear first strike against the United States in the event of an American invasion of Cuba.
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There was a second letter received from Moscow stating tougher terms which including the removal of missiles from Turkey. An American U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba mad the pilot, Major Rudolph Anderson was killed. Kennedy contacted his widow through writing, informing her he would be awarding her late husband the Distinguished Service Medal, posthumously.
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Radio Moscow announced that the Soviet Union accepted the proposed solution and released the text of a Khrushchev letter, affirming that the missiles would be removed in exchange for a non-invasion pledge from the United States.
