This transcript features President John F. Kennedy's address to the nation on October 22, 1962, where he announces the undeniable presence of Soviet offensive missile and nuclear-capable jet bomber sites under construction in Cuba. Kennedy details the ranges of these medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, emphasizing their capacity to strike major cities across the Western Hemisphere. He condemns the Soviet Union's actions as a "deliberately provocative and unjustified change in the status quo," a "flagrant and deliberate defiance" of international agreements, and a profound betrayal of previous Soviet assurances, whose statements he repeatedly labels as "false." Kennedy asserts that such deception and offensive threats cannot be tolerated by the United States or the global community, emphasizing the immediate and grave peril these deployments pose to peace and security in the Americas.
President John F. Kennedy's Address: The Cuban Missile Crisis
0:14 October 22, 1962: President John F. Kennedy addresses the nation from the White House, announcing a new crisis concerning Cuba.
0:47 Unmistakable Evidence: Kennedy reveals that within the past week, "unmistakable evidence" has confirmed the preparation of offensive missile sites in Cuba, intended to provide nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere.
1:39 Missile Capabilities: He describes two types of installations:
Medium-Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBMs) capable of striking over 1,000 nautical miles, threatening major US cities like Washington D.C., and parts of Central America and the Caribbean.
Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs), not yet completed, capable of traveling more than twice as far, threatening most major cities in the Western Hemisphere, from Hudson's Bay, Canada, to Lima, Peru.
2:35 Nuclear-Capable Bombers: In addition to missiles, jet bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons are being uncrated and assembled in Cuba, with airbases being prepared.
3:00 "Explicit Threat to Peace": This transformation of Cuba into a strategic base with "large long-range and clearly offensive weapons of sudden mass destruction" constitutes an explicit threat to peace and security of all the Americas.
3:05 Flagrant Defiance and Deception: Kennedy highlights that this action is in "flagrant and deliberate Defiance" of the Rio Pact of 1947, US policy, UN Charter, and his own public warnings. He states it "contradicts the repeated assurances of Soviet spokesmen," both public and private, that arms in Cuba were defensive and that no strategic missiles would be stationed abroad.
4:49 False Soviet Assurances: He directly cites recent "false" statements from Soviet government officials, including Foreign Minister Gromyko, who only last Thursday assured him of purely defensive Soviet assistance to Cuba.
5:38 Intolerable Deception and Threat: Kennedy asserts that neither the US nor the world community can tolerate "deliberate deception and offensive threat" from any nation, emphasizing the increased peril posed by the sudden deployment of nuclear weapons.
6:20 Unprecedented Deployment: He notes that both the Soviet Union and the United States have historically deployed strategic nuclear weapons with great care, maintaining a "precarious status quo." The US has never transferred its strategic missiles to other nations under secrecy.
7:31 Provocative Change to Status Quo: The "secret, swift extraordinary buildup of communist missiles" in Cuba, in violation of assurances and American/hemispheric policy, represents a "deliberately provocative and unjustified change in the status quo which cannot be accepted by this country."