:49:01
Thas very useful State will
work with you on a draft resolution.
:49:04
And may I add, sir, that whatever
happens at the United Nations
:49:06
is largely contingent on
the Organization of American States
:49:10
supporting our action.
:49:11
Hopefully, the O AS will come
to a vote by Wednesday
:49:14
before we impose the actual blockade.
:49:16
May I ask what we'll do
if the O AS doesn't support us?
:49:21
Are we then going to impose
the blockade and take our case
:49:25
to the United Nations without
even the semblance of legality,
:49:30
without the support
of our own hemisphere?
:49:34
I'll pay any price to get those
missiles out of Cuba.
:49:37
Then, sir, I don't see how we can expect
:49:40
the Russians to remove them for nothing.
:49:43
Is going to be difficult
for the rest of the world,
:49:45
especially Europe, who understand
our fear of the Cuban bases.
:49:49
After all, our European allies
have been within easy reach
:49:54
of Soviet missiles for years.
:49:56
The world will ask why Soviet technicians
:50:00
and missiles in Cuba are any more wicked
:50:02
than our own technicians and
missiles in Turkey and Italy.
:50:08
And why a Russian base in Cuba
is any wicked
:50:11
than our own American base at Guantanamo.
:50:14
Stevenson, are you asserting
that we should trade our Jupiter base
:50:17
or our Guantanamo base
for the Cuban missile bases?
:50:20
Are you suggesting there's
a relationship between the two?
:50:22
The world will suggest it, sir,
and we must have a response.
:50:25
If the situation were reversed,
:50:27
the Russians wouldn't hesitate
to use nuclear weapons on us,
:50:30
and they certainly wouldn't agree
to trade away their strategic base.
:50:33
If the blockade fails, we'll be forced
either into war or negotiations.
:50:39
I believe we might avoid the war by
beginning with the negotiations.
:50:43
I should have thought that Hitler taught
us at least one lesson,
:50:46
and its name is appeasement.
:50:47
Negotiating now will weaken
our strategic position
:50:49
all over the world.
:50:51
The Guantanamo base is without
strategic significance.
:50:53
I'll dispute that, sir.
:50:55
The Turkish and Italian Jupiter bases
are obsolete.
:50:57
But our treaty obligations are binding,