Robert McNamara and Fidel Castro, October 2002, Havana
1960s U.S. Defence Secretary Robert McNamara, who died today, with Fidel Fidel Castro in October 2002 during a U.S.-Cuban-Russian conference on the 1962 Cuban missile crisis (”Conferencia tripartita sobre las crisis de octobre de 1962″) in Havana, October 2002.
At the conference, McNamara had a “riveting exchange” with Castro after the Russians revealed
that the Russian military in Cuba during the crisis was equipped with tactical nuclear weapons and had the authority to use them in the case of a US land invasion of Cuba.
What Castro had to say about this is interesting.
Photo from here.
Update: Humberto Fontova:
“It wasn’t until January, 1992, in a meeting chaired by Castro in Havana, Cuba, that I learned 162 nuclear warheads, including 90 tactical warheads, were on the island at the time of this critical moment of the crisis. … -Robert McNamara, The Fog of War.
I’ve read, and re-read, and re-read this passage to make sure I’m not hallucinating. Why did it take the U.S. Sec. Of Defense 30 ‘freakin years to learn something known to half of Miami in Oct. of 1962?–something young Cuban heroes, risking their lives on infiltration missions, had been shouting into the U.S. State Dept. and CIA’s ears since Sept. 8 1962!!!!??? (when the first missiles arrived) and for month’s earlier (when the SAM sites started being set up.)
Hah, there’s no arguing with a Hahhh-vad man. And Hahh-vad men infested Washington at the crucial time for Cuba’s liberation…..how sad.
I repeat, above I quote a former U.S. Sec. of Defense.
If Pearl Harbor is considered “an intelligence failure” (which of course, it wasn’t) what the hell do you call THIS!
Unreal.
Unreal indeed.
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