The Opening of the .....

Secret Recordings by John F. Kennedy...

Fifty years later after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the national Archives have pulled together documents and secret White House recordings to show how President John F. Kennedy deliberated with advisers to avert nuclear war.

This Friday a new exhibit, “To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” opens illustrating the showdown which took place with the Soviet Union. While the recordings have been available to researchers for yeas this is the firs public showcase of Kennedy’s recordings to replay the manner in which he handled a very tense time within history.

In the fall of 1962, Soviet leader Premier Khrushchev ordered a secret deployment of nuclear missiles to Cuba that was soon detected by United States Spy planes. On October 16^th Kennedy was briefed on the photographic proof of the missiles sits being developed. U.S. officials determined from the sixe of the images that the medium ranged missiles would be capable to reach Washington, Dallas, Cape Canaveral, Florida and any other areas within a proximity of 1,000 miles of Cuba – the time frame was within minutes. Soon after it was then learned that there were an array of longer range missiles that could reach any part of United States – as well as Canada as the two were seen as one country by the Khrushchev.

What is so significant is these archives now available to the public illustrate the standoff which took place over 13 days. As well, it was a time which gives proof of a time which was the most dangerous time in history where we came to nuclear destruction.

As Kennedy leaned toward a blockade order to prevent Soviet ships from sending more military supplies to Cuba, some military advisers though it was a weak response. Within the archives there are the sounds of heated debates within the Whitehouse.

This exhibit will travel to various cities first Washington and there after in Boston.