Sunday, October 22, 2006
This Day in American History
On this day in 1962, President John F. Kennedy informed the world that the Soviet Union was setting up previously secret missile bases in Cuba and that he had ordered a naval quarantine of Cuba (they'd decided not to use the word 'blockade' because it sounded too bellicose). He also demanded that Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev remove all the missiles and their bases, which they eventually did, as we removed our missiles based in Turkey. I remember my mother telling me to be quiet during the television address, and saying, "Your father might have to go back in the Navy." That shut me up. For the next few weeks we would ride our bikes over to the highway through Mobile, Alabama to see big military convoys with tanks, big green M60 main battle tanks!, on carriers. We thought getting ready for thermonuclear war was neat.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 12:18 AM 
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"they'd decided not to use the word 'blockade' because it sounded too bellicose"
More specifically, a blockade is an act of war. We didn't call it a blockade for the same reason that the Iranians claimed that the US embassy in Tehran was occupied by "students". In each case, the euphemism allowed a (extraordinarily thin) excuse for not going to a hot war immediately.
More specifically, a blockade is an act of war. We didn't call it a blockade for the same reason that the Iranians claimed that the US embassy in Tehran was occupied by "students". In each case, the euphemism allowed a (extraordinarily thin) excuse for not going to a hot war immediately.
Well said. Teheran vies with Pyongyang as the second to next targets of very bellicose nukes in the next few years. Maybe I'm being too warlike myself.
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