When diplomacy matters

Richard Holbrooke: The Guns of August

http://tinyurl.com/sxcm5

How is it that there isn't even one person this smart, this
intelligent, this indispensible, in the current administration? Oh, I
know the answer...

Jon

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Szanto" <jszanto@...> wrote:

It seems many don't know history. Holbrooke makes the
Cuban missile crisis seem "simple". The facts of history
are just the opposite.

The premise is: "brilliant diplomacy" stopped a nuclear crisis.
Therefore, one must of course conclude from that, that the current
crisis can be solved by diplomacy.

"The Cuba crisis, although immensely dangerous, was comparatively
simple: It came down to two leaders and no war."

Richard Holbrooke states:

This combination of combustible elements poses the greatest threat to
global stability since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, history's only
nuclear superpower confrontation. The Cuba crisis, although immensely
dangerous, was comparatively simple: It came down to two leaders and
no war. In 13 days of brilliant diplomacy, John F. Kennedy induced
Nikita Khrushchev to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba.

The facts of history at:

library.thinkquest.org/11046/media/fourteen_days.doc

Also on Wednesday, military alert was raised to DEFCON 2, the highest
level ever in U.S. history. The notification, sent round the world
from Strategic Air Command headquarters, was purposely left uncoded to
let the Soviets know just how serious the Americans were. The military
could, at a moments notice, launch an attack on Cuba or the Soviet
Union.
That evening, the White House received a second letter from
Khrushchev:

You, Mr. President, are not declaring a quarantine, but rather are
advancing an ultimatum and threatening that if we do not give in to
your demands you will use force.... No Mr. President, I cannot agree
to this, and I think that in your own heart you recognize that I am
correct. I am convinced that in my place you would act the same way.

Therefore the Soviet Government cannot instruct the captains of Soviet
vessels bound for Cuba to observe the orders of the American naval
forces blockading that Island.... Naturally we will not simply be
bystanders with regard to piratical acts by American ships on the high
seas. We will then be forced on our part to take the measures we
consider necessary and adequate to protect our rights. We have
everything necessary to do so.

The Ends of a Rope

Day 11: Thursday, October 25

"National security must come first...we can't negotiate with a gun at
our head... if they won't remove the missiles and restore status quo
ante, we will have to do it ourselves."

-President John F. Kennedy

Tensions continued to build on Thursday with no resolution
appearing any closer at hand...

POST ABOVE FROM STEPHEN >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

OLD POST BY JON BELOW >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>
> Richard Holbrooke: The Guns of August
>
> http://tinyurl.com/sxcm5
>
> How is it that there isn't even one person this smart, this
> intelligent, this indispensible, in the current administration? Oh, I
> know the answer...
>
> Jon
>