:06:02
and the missiles are Russian.
:06:04
This is between Khrushchev and myself.
:06:07
The great danger here
is a miscalculation,
:06:09
a mistake in judgement.
:06:10
A few weeks ago I read
the Guns of August,
:06:12
by Barbara Tuchman, have you read that?
:06:15
In it she tells of
the staggering mistakes
:06:17
that the Europeans made
that led up to World War I.
:06:19
The Germans, the Austrians,
the Russians, the French
:06:22
and the British all stumbled into war;
:06:27
stupidities, personal idiosyncrasies,
:06:32
misunderstandings, prejudices, complexes.
:06:36
The First World War which
seemed so inevitable,
:06:38
was just a stupid mistake.
:06:40
Maybe thas true of most wars, all wars.
:06:42
Someone asked the German Chancellor,
:06:44
how the First World War got started,
and he said,
:06:46
if we only knew.
:06:49
I'd like to send a copy
of Tuckman's book to every officer
:06:52
on every ship in our Navy right now,
:06:56
not that they'd read it.
:06:58
Yes.
:07:03
Right.
:07:06
Mr. President,
there's a new letter from Khrushchev
:07:09
coming in on the wire.
:07:11
They'll bring a translation
as soon as they have it.
:07:14
We don't want war, and I don't believe
the Russians do, either.
:07:18
But they took a step and
we had to respond.
:07:21
They react and we respond again.
:07:23
So for reasons of pride,
or security, or face,
:07:25
each response requires
a counter response,
:07:28
and we escalate our way to disaster.
:07:30
We have to control ourselves
and try to control events.
:07:34
We must be careful not to miscalculate
or to misjudge,
:07:38
or to challenge the Russians
needlessly or thoughtlessly
:07:41
into a war neither side wants,
:07:42
and neither side can win.
:07:45
If we only knew.
:07:49
President Kennedy,
I have your letter of this date.
:07:53
The actions of the United States
of America
:07:55
with regard to Cuba
are outright banditry.
:07:59
Or if you like,
the folly of degenerate imperialism.