IF I HAD BEEN THE PRESIDENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000700300008-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 15, 2005
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: February 12, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

0
Approved For Release 2005/12
,LEWISTON, IDAHO
TRIBUNE
17,258
S. 17,566
Front Edit Other
Page Pap Page
Date: FEB 12 1964 11
la qor L , W .~
Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, R-Maine, invasion conducted by Cuban exiles. One;
Way be entirely sure on the campaign of the major differences is that an open,
circuit in New Hampshire what she would official act of war by the United States'
have done, in two separate Cuban crises ' would have challenged the Soviet Union'
if she had been President of the United. to come to the defense of Cuba as it
t L...- L-_- _-
t,fnfnq She could
no
so sure if she really had been President. L1V11110GU to Uu.
"Had So which course would Senator Smith
"Had I been President," she' said have chosen if she really had been Presi-'
Monday
"I would have
ive
ir
,
g
n a
cover dent?
to the invasion of the Ba
of Pi
y
gs or "Had I
never would have approved that inva"I been President," she con-:-
never tinued, "I would never have lifted the
That obviously is not the forthright blockade hofl~Cuba without an on-site in
be. Which would she have done-provided Is she, even now, so positive of this?
,,air cover or canceled the proposed in. Imposition of the Cuban blockade was,;
.vasion? under international law,, an act of war
Anyone who sat through the State De- against Cuba. It was fully justified by:
partment's off-the-record background the Russian-Cuban missile threat, to be
briefllnLl for 71Atx7amon Sllr hilt it I,- ....a ..r _
;Bay of Pigs fiasco can never forget the The blockade confronted Soviet Prti;
em
:vivid record of contradictions there
Some ier Nikita Khrushehe
ith
f
11
.
a
ateful de
-
v w
of the highest officials in the State De-. cision. Should he respond to this U.S.
partment said the
had b
li
y
een assured by , war
ke act with an act of war himself,
intelligence experts that Dictator Fidel. as he had inferentially promised the Cu-,
Castro's military forces were relatively' bans, or should he back down?
weak and that the Cuban people were He decided to back down. He promised;
ready to rise in revolt against him if Cu- . that the missiles would be removed and-.
ban exiles invaded. Then a high official he agreed to on-site inspections. The fate-i
o4 the Central Intelligence Agency flat- ful confrontation between, the United
ly stated that the CIA reports to the gov-. States and Russia was resolved on that
,erninent had be-en accurate, both as to basis. But Castro refused to abide by the'
the strength of Castro's forces and as to Soviet promise of on-site inspection. The
.his support among the Cuban people. United States then faced the next alter-
After these direct contradictions, Pros- native:- Should it re-establish the block-
ident John F. Kennedy told the reporters, ade and thus confront the Soviets again
as he subsequently repeated on the rec- with another warlike challenge, or should
ord, that he personall
d
y assume
respon., ' it settle for inspection of the missile sites
sibility for the decision to accede to the by the same effective means by which
exiles' invasion of their homeland. The ' the missiles had been discovered? Was
question was not so much who was wrong the on-site inspection, which could 'be'
in judging the situation,'he said, because enforced only by an invasion,' worth an
there was enough blame to be shared';;!. other challenge of war?
by everyone. The question was w h a t. Mrs. Smith may be. sure now, on the
should be done in future confrontations campaign trail, that she would have chos-
with the Cuban Communists. en another challenge of war. Would she
Sending American planes to partici have been so sure if she had been in pos-.?
pate in the Bay of Pigs invasion obvious-. ;-;.session of all, the facts which President?
ly would have been an act of war by': Kennedy had when he made his decision?;i
the United States against Cuba That is
':..The
ti
,
na
on cannot know, really,. And'
vastly, different, than- tacit consent to an we doubt that sh
a
i
e ca
. ,e
ther.B..I. ;
Approved For Release 2051214':' CIA=i CSPA'5!'OYl`4tRO06'7 0300008=7