NEWS BRIEFING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ARTHUR SYLVESTER
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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):
CIA-RDP79T00428A000200030003-0
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RIPPUB
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K
Document Page Count:
19
Document Creation Date:
December 16, 2016
Document Release Date:
February 8, 2005
Sequence Number:
3
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Publication Date:
October 25, 1962
Content Type:
BRIEF
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NEWS BRIEFING
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ARTHUR SYLVESTER
The Pentagon
October 25, 1962
MR. SYLVESTER: Gentlemen, I have a little positive
information. May I try first to clear up one point, or clue
you in on one point.
On the question of the encounter this morning, which
we reported to you shortly after 11 o'clock, we have been asked
since then, was there a boarding? There was no boarding. The
tanker had been under surveillance for an extended period.
Furthermore, the attitude of.the tanker in the water with its low
freeboard, which my Navy leaders tell me means that it was
floating low in the water, told the Commander of the Navy ship
that it was a tanker heavily loaded. If the tanker had had
hatches or any unusual configuration -- unusually large hatches --
this would have aroused suspicions. It had none of these and
the Navy Commander and the Navy were completely satisfied that
it was an ordinary oil tanker.
There have been some questions raised, and we have had
inquiries of a technical nature, as to whether the Presidential
proclamation included a prohibition, or in its prohibition on
missiles and offensive weapons, included as well missile pro-
pellants and chemical compounds capable of being used to power
missiles, as well as- surface-to-surface missiles. The answer is yes,
the proclamation does include a prohibition on this type of
material, and, therefore, if there is any sighting of a tanker,
which I am told would show a special configuration with this
sort of material, it would be stopped.
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QUESTION: :Would you repeat the last sentence that you
said? After prohibition on missile propellants. There is a pro-
hibition on missile propellants?
MR. SYLVESTER: The prohibition on missiles includes with
it a prchilh pion on the propellant and chemical compounds capable
of being used to power these missiles as well as on surface-to-
surface missiles.
Mr. Salinger at the present time is making an. announce-
ment: as to the President's reply to Mr. U Thant's proposal and Mr.
Khrushchev's response to that. I will not get into that, obviously.
He will say, and I will give you this so that you will know the
impact of that on the operation, he will point out that despite
the exchanges going on, the quarantine continues, naturally.
Soviet ships are continuing to Cuba, as we have said. There is
no way of knowing what is in them, and furthermore, as the
Secretary has said and the pictures show, the missile site work.
at Cuba is going on at the same rate. So that, as you evaluate
or look at what is being said on the diplomatic front, keep in
mind these three factors which we are calling to your attention
and Mr. Salinger is making clear at the White House.
QUESTION: Does that mean that the missile construction
is still going on, that the later reconnaissance flights showed?
MR. SYLVESTER: Correct.
QUESTION: Have you been taking pictures in the last
day?
MR. SYLVESTER: I didn't hear the question.
QUESTION: Have you been taking pictures of the
missile sites in the last day?
MR. SYLVESTER: There has been constant surveillance.
QUESTION: Are we going to get any more pictures?
MR. SYLVESTER: I don't want to predict. We gave you
the latest ones yesterday.
QUESTION: What are these three points that we are
supposed to keep in mind? I didn't follow that. I only have two.
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MR. SYLVESTER: That the quarantine will continue
regardless of this discussion.
QUESTION: Can you give us any general idea how many
ships are still continuing?
MR. SYLVESTER: Did you get the rest?
QUESTION: Soviet ships are continuing to Cuba and
that the missile construction is continuing, is that right?
naturally.
QUESTION: How many ships, the quarantine continues,
MR. SYLVESTER: The question was, Warren Rogers said that
he did not get the answer to my offering, that he should keep in
mind in the diplomatic negotiations our aspects of them. I am not
commenting on the diplomatic discussions in any way. I am simply
saying that as they continue, in whatever form or response at
this time, insofar as I know, the quarantine continues, naturally.
The Soviet ships are continuing to Cuba. We have no
way of knowing what is in them. Obviously, the quarantine alone
will establish that.
Furthermore, on Cuba itself the missile site work is
progressing at the same rapid rate and you will recall that the
President in his proclamation said that the ultimate objective
was the removal of those missile sites.
QUESTION: If we don't know what is in the ships that
are progressing to Cuba, why were we so sure that this was fuel
oil or whatever it was, and not missile fuel?
MR. SYLVESTER: My understanding of that is that a
ship carrying the lropellant or missile fuel requires a. special
configuration which would be identified by Naval people who
know these matters.
QUESTION: Was there an actual exchange of signals
between these ships? Did they exchange messages with the
Soviet Commander?
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MR. SYLVESTER: Ican't get into the details of it.
QUESTION: There was a wire service report that said
that this was true. Maybe that is why the question was asked.
QUESTION: Can we say anything about the ship configura-
tion you were talking about earlier? What is the unusual con-
figuration of a tanker or other vessel that carries missile
propellants or fuel?
MR. SYLVESTER: I can't respond to the question.
don't know. I'll try to get the answer.
QUESTION: Do you know what the hatches that would
have been on a ship that was not carrying -- what do they mean
by the term "hatches"?
QUESTION: Does this morning's episode indicate that
we won't board unless absolutely necessary?
MR. SYLVESTER: It doesn't indicate anything of the
sort. We will take whatever measures, as the Secretary said,
are necessary to establish and maintain the quarantine.
QUESTION: Have there been any other encounters?
MR. SYLVESTER: No.
QUESTION: How many ships are on their way at this
point?
MR. SYLVESTER: There are 2,000 ships daily, regularly,
at any time in the Atlantic, and I can't answer the question.
QUESTION: How many of the 25 are there?
QUESTION: The Secretary said the other evening
there were 25.
QUESTION: How many of the 25 are still underway? Pre-
sumably one is, because it has been cleared through.
MR. SYLVESTER: I would not be bound at this point,
if I were you, by any specific number. We said this morning
at least ?--
QUESTION: Twelve have been turned back.?
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MR. SYLVESTER: Have turned back. Whether the others
have altered course or are exactly on the same course I can't
answer at this time. But there are Soviet ships continuing
toward Cuba.
QUESTION: What is the name of the American. ship that
was in the encounter?
MR. SYLVESTER: I haven't got the name of it to re-
lease at this time.
QUESTION: There is a report that the Moscow radio or
press identified its tanker as the BUCHAREST. Was that the tanker
we stopped?
MR. SYLVESTER: I will try to find out the name for you.
QUESTION: You say the ships are continuing and the
missile construction is continuing. The other day the President
and the Secretary both said that if this build-up continued,
further action would be taken. Are you trying to tell us now
you are about to take this further action?
MR. SYLVESTER: No, I am not trying to tell you anything.
QUESTION: Senator Kuchel on the West Coast apparently
thinks some further action is imminent in the way of invasion
and pinpoint bombing of Cuba, and so forth. Can, you give us any
denial of this?
MR. SYLVESTER: I would not have any comment on that
whatsoever.
QUESTION: Did you have any more to tell us before
this questioning started?
MR. SYLVESTER: No, sir.
QUESTION: Did the tanker stop? The Soviet tanker?
MR. SYLVESTER: I can't tell-you whether it came to a
dead stop or not.
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QUESTION: Did it slow down?
MR. SYLVESTER: Obviously, it wasn't going at top speed,
QUESTION: Before, or did it decrease speed?
MR. SYLVESTER: I can't tell you. I don't know.
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QUESTION: Can you say anything about when the next
contact might be expected?
MR. SYLVESTER: I can't tell you in point of time.
QUESTION: When is our next meeting?
QUESTION: Is there any evidence of new equipment
on the missile sites?
MR. SYLVESTER: The latest pictures we had were
yesterday. If you noticed, they were pretty clear showing
that the work was going along. What we are saying is that
there is not any slackening of the development of these
sites whatsoever.
QUESTION: How much time does Castro have to
remove these missiles?
think.
MR. SYLVESTER: The sooner the better, I should
QUESTION: Are there ships approaching which
don't have this innocent configuration and presumably
have to be boarded and searched?
MR. SYLVESTER: The quarantine is being imposed
by the Navy and carried out by the officers in charge of
these ships to make sure that nothing is passing through.
If they see anything they feel should be investigated,
it will.
QUESTION: Are there ships approaching you expect
would have to be investigated?
MR. SYLVESTER: I wouldn't doubt it.
QUESTION: The impression created at Monday's
briefing is that any ship of any flag headed toward Cuba,
would be hailed, halted, and searched. This tanker goes
through without being halted and searched.
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MR. SYLVESTER: No, I think --
QUESTION: Did we get the wrong impression or
have you pulled back from the original intention?
MR. SYLVESTER: I don't think you got the wrong
impression. I don't think we pulled back. I think if you
look at the record, what was said, there is a special list
of contraband, or a special list of goods, which will be
diverted. On the least suspicion that any ship is carrying
that, action will be taken to divert it. Obviously the
first interest, and the ships which would have capacity
and be most likely to carry the material on the list,
would be bloc ships. Therefore, you would be looking
at them first. Obviously if there is any indication that
other ships are carrying this sort of material, they will
be halted. Naturally we are going to concentrate on them.
QUESTION: It was stated that you were going
to examine the manifest of the ship. This is what was
said Monday night.
MR. SYLVESTER: It was said if it was boarded
you could look at the manifest.
QUESTION: It was also said they would be
boarded.
QUESTION: When will --
MR. SYLVESTER: It was pointed out that oil
was not one of those.
QUESTION: I understand that.
QUESTION: When may newsmen be permitted to go
out there?
MR. SYLVESTER: I would expect not too long.
QUESTION: What do you mean by not too long?
MR. SYLVESTER: We are working right now on
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the provisions how we can get people out there, how many
you can get, which one of you are going to go and which
are not, and how you are going to decide who is going
and who is not. I would assume that every newsman from
any media around the country would want to go. The
question is how you handle two or three hundred or twenty
or one or two is a problem. After you get there we have to
make provisions. There is no point of being out there,
as I take it, unless you get your report back. The
problem of getting your report back is one of the things
that I am addressing myself to completely in this. As
I. understand it I would not want to be out there writing
to myself or talking to myself. If you are bobbing
around out there, that's a problem. We are going to
work the problem out.
QUESTION: Is this liable to be ready during
the weekend?
MR. SYLVESTER: I would hope it would be
ready and we will have our plans battened down so we can
go whenever we are ready to go before the weekend. Howard,
what I am trying to do is to prepare so that we can
handle under various categories, various groups, various
arrangements, just as soon as possible, not waiting until
we are ready to put you out there. When that time comes,
and everything is in order, you can go.
QUESTION: Would the foreign press go, too?
MR. SYLVESTER: That is one of the problems
we have.
QUESTION: Have any non-bloc ships come through?
MR. SYLVESTER: I am not aware of any.
QUESTION: Then there is just the one ship that
has come through since this thing started?
MR. SYLVESTER: So far as I know.
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QUESTION: Isn't there any Soviet cargo ship
other than the tanker going to have to be boarded and
searched?
MR. SYLVESTER: I would expect so.
QUESTION: There are other Soviet cargo ships
approaching?
MR. SYLVESTER: Yes.
QUESTION: And they will be boarded and searched?
QUESTION: Are we expecting a contact with a
non-bloc ship around now?
MR. SYLVESTER: I am not sure. I am not
QUESTION: There is a report to that effect.
Is that right?
effect?
MR. SYLVESTER: There is a report to that
QUESTION: There is a report to that effect.
MR. SYLVESTER: What is the report?
QUESTION: That is why I asked you. The report
is that we are expecting a contact with a non-bloc
ship very soon.
MR. SYLVESTER: I am very interested. I have
no comment on it.
QUESTION: Is this the first you heard on it?
MR. SYLVESTER: I have no comment on it.
QUESTION: When do you expect to be able to give
us the briefing asked about four days ago on your blockade
and boarding procedures?
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MR. SYLVESTER: We are still working on it.
QUESTION: Would the Pentagon concede that
offensive weapons could have been concealed on that tanker
and gotten through?
MR. SYLVESTER: No. I am satisfied that the
Navy is satisfied.
QUESTION: Is the Navy satisfied?
MR. SYLVESTER: The Navy is satisfied. If you
think back this ship obviously left its home port before
the proclamation of the quarantine. Up to this time the
Russians as you know, because we have given out pictures,
have had no hesitancy of shipping this stuff in the open.
They haven't shown any indication that they had to rip
up their submarines or tankers or rip up any other ship.
They have had it out in the open. We have passed out
pictures showing it. I would see no reason to suppose
that before this action was taken, and the fact that
this ship left before that, there would be any need for
them to go to that extreme.
QUESTION: If you were going out there would
you wear summer or winter clothing?
QUESTION: As of what time is your information
based that the missile sites were worked on?
MR. SYLVESTER: What time?
My information is based on within the last
twenty minutes.
QUESTION: When did they get their last report?
MR. SYLVESTER: You will recall we are not
saying or discussing how we get our intelligence, when
we get it and so forth.
QUESTION: You just said that we will recall
that this ship left before the quarantine., and:. that:" they
have been shipping in the open. How long have you
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known they were shipping missiles to Cuba in the open?
MR. SYLVESTER: I would have to look at the pictures.
You have had some pictures of that.
QUESTION: They don't have any dates on them.
MR. SYLVESTER: You will have to find out what
the dates are.
QUESTION: What you say implies that you have
known that these missiles were going to Cuba long before
Monday night, October 15th, at ten p.m.
MR. SYLVESTER: It doesn't imply anything
of the sort.
QUESTION: You said they were shipping them
in the open.
MR. SYLVESTER: That is what I did.
QUESTION: Prior to that time?
MR. SYLVESTER: Prior to Monday?
QUESTION: Yes.
QUESTION: Why didn't you see them if the
intelligence surveillance is supposed to be so good?
MR. SYLVESTER: I am talking about the crates
of IL-28's. They were followed.
QUESTION: You have known about the IL-28's
a long time?
MR, SYLVESTER: I didn't say a long time, no.
QUESTION: You said they were doing it in the
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MR. SYLVESTER: I am not going to discuss how long.
QUESTION: You did discuss it.
MR. SYLVESTER: No. I am not going to discuss
intelligence information. What I said in answer to the
question can we say for sure that there was not something
else than oil in the tanker. I said that it appears to
us: one, that that tanker had left before the proclamation;
and two, that we have released pictures within the last number
of days showing IL-28 crates. That is what I said. No more
or less.
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QUESTION: What is the point of the release of the
picture unless you were suggesting that those crates were
shipped before the time you are talking about;
MR. SYLVESTER: I haven't any further comment on it.
QUESTION: There have been reports that 35 Cuban
refugees from Guantanamo have landed in Miami. Is this so, and
if it is so, are these the only ones who have sought asylum?
14R. SYLVESTER. Let me check that out. I haven't
any knowledge of that fact,but we ought to be able to establish
it.
QUESTION: Where are the dozen or so ships heading that
were to change course yesterday?
MR. SYLVESTER. Where are they heading now? I
don't have any idea personally. As long as they are not going
to Cuba, our interest is not there.
QUESTION: Do they have enough fuel to get them
back?
MR. SYLVESTER. I. don't know. That is their problem.
QUESTION,: What determines the turnback point?
QUESTION'. How do you know that they have, in. fact,
turned back.?
QUESTION-, Are they kept under surveillance?
MR. SYLVESTER: You mean after they have gone the way?
QUESTION. Yes.,
1R. SYLVESTER- we follow each one if they are going
the other way? Is that yo;a__ question?
QUESTION., For a reasonable length of time?
QUESTION. Are there any indi.cati~:1ns that any new
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Russian ships other than those discussed by Secretary McNamara
have left Russian ports and moved into the area?
MR. SYLVESTER: I couldn't discuss it one way or another.
QUESTION: Can we have an answer about how far we follow
them, after they turn around?
MR. SYLVESTER: I am not going to tell you how far we
follow them or what procedures. The Navy is satisfied when it
reports that they have changed course. If you will recall, yes-
terday we gave a tentative report on the basis of the information
that they changed course. Today we have said, and are satisfied
that they definitely have turned back.
QUESTION: You mean they headed back to Russia?
to Cuba.
MR. SYLVESTER: I haven't any idea. They are not going
QUESTION: Have you had any contacts with unidentified
submarines?
MR. SYLVESTER: No, not that I know of.
QUESTION: Are there any more plans for Congressional.
briefings?
MR. SYLVESTER: I have none and had none.
QUESTION: Is it possible that these 12 ships have
turned back to rendezvous for a convoy operation? Are there
any signs of Soviet warships heading toward this area or perhaps
Soviet submarines surfaced, heading toward these 12 ships? Are
they in a group, in other words, and are they forming a convoy?
MR. SYLVESTER: I have no information on that.
QUESTION: You said that missile installation work
is proceeding in Cuba. Did you refer to the IRBM's or the
mobile small ones?
MR. SYLVESTER: We are talking about the offensive
missile sites that we have already revealed.
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QUESTION: You are referring to both?
MR.a SYLVESTER: If you recall, the first pictures we
released showed that the start on the IRBM's had not gone down
the lane. They havenot stopped going down the lane.
QUESTION: Work is proceeding on both?
MR. SYLVESTER: Precisely.
QUESTION: Were any special orders issued from the
Pentagon with respect to dealing with this tanker?
MR. SYLVESTER: This particular. tanker?
QUESTION: Yes.
MR. SYLVESTER: I think not. I think these are part of
the orders all the Commanders have.
QUESTION: Did the Commander know in advance, or could
he tell from the superstructure that it was not likely to be
carrying offensive material and didn't have to board?
M. SYLVESTER: I don't get your question.
QUESTION: Was the Commander told in advance that he
should make a judgment about what the thing looks like?
MR. SYLVESTER: All of the Commanders have been issued
orders which cover all these possibilities.
QUESTION: Can you tell us whether this Skipper did
anything but look at the freeboard? Did he talk to the Skipper
of the Russian ship by radio?
MR. SYLVESTER: There was an exchange.
QUESTION: Between the Skippers?
MR. SYLVESTER: I cant go any further than that.
QUESTION: Was it by radio?
MR. SYLVESTER: I am not going to discuss what it was.
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QUESTION: Representative Anfuso said it was by
radio. Could you comment on what he said?
MR. SYLVESTER: I wouldn't think of it.
QUESTION: He is talking a defense problem here
and you are the spokesman.
MR. SYLVESTER: I am not going to discuss what a
Congressman said.
QUESTION: There is a report thatthis was by radio?
MP.. SYLVESTER: I have no comment on it. I am not
prepared to talk about what the discussion was or what the ex-
change was.
QUESTION: Since this thing began there have been a
number of stories from many different places. Aside from
Secretary McNamara's 25 ships, not one of them has come from the
Pentagon. They have come from the White H:ause, State Department,
Puerto Rico, New York, Van Zandt, Anfuso and elsewhere.
We were promised all of the i_-formation would channel
through here. We haven't had a story yet since McNamara said
there were 25 ships. All of the stuff you have given us here has
been an the wires for a long time. Are we ever going to get
a story here?
QUESTION: Are we going to continue to have after the
fact cover ups for Congressmen that talk first, or are we going
to have some hard news? That is what we are trying to ask, I
think.
MR. SYLVESTER: I would hope we continue to have hard
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QUESTION: Can you explain the security behind
this? :is there something secure about whether it is by
radio?
other?
MR. SYLVESTER: I am sorry I can't contribute
QUESTION: How close did the ships pass each
MR. SYLVESTER: They were reasonably close.
QUESTION: Within a mile?
MR. SYLVESTER: Again I am not going to get into
the details.
QUESTION: Reasonably close?
MR. SYLVESTER: I actually got into much more
detail than I am supposed to. I am going to leave it at that.
QUESTION: You say you can't name the ship?
MR. SYLVESTER: Bucharest.
QUESTION: The U. S. Naval vessel?
MR. SYLVESTER: I haven't got the name.
QUESTION: Can you give us the type of the vessel?
Destroyer, cruiser, aircraft?
MR. SYLVESTER: Not at this time.
QUESTION: You said it was a commander that
was in charge of that ship?
MR. SYLVESTER: I meant in in the generic term.
QUESTION: You didn't mean it as a rank.
MR, SYLVESTER : I didn't mean -i t as a rank.
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QUESTION: Why did it take four hours after the
confrontation for you to tell us? What was the delay?
MR. SYLVESTER: I refer to Mr. Salinger's comments
this morning on this. We are in a pretty serious situation
here. First off, you have to authenticate it. There are
other considerations than simply popping it out the minute
it comes. These are all considerations which were taken
into account.
I have told you all I can tell you.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
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