Before Oct., 1962, the U.S. had already planned to remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey. There were also three squadrons of the missiles deployed in the Italian countryside. The Polaris submarine launched missile, with it's 1,200 mile range was regarded as superior and less vulnerable to attack.
The Soviets backed down publicly, agreeing to remove all nuclear missiles from
Cuba, while the agreement by the US to remove Jupiter missiles from Turkey was not revealed publicly until two years later.....
Quote:
http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2...rteendays.html
HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES
Frantic days, sleepless nights:
Presidential aides and scholars relive 'Thirteen Days' in 1962
By Doug Gavel
Gazette Staff
March 1, 2001
...On Sunday, Oct. 28, 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba, in exchange for a promise from Kennedy not to invade the Communist island. It was later revealed, however, that Kennedy had also made a secret promise to remove the NATO missiles from Turkey.
"The Jupiter missiles in Turkey were militarily obsolete," McNamara said. "Basically, Kennedy was saying over and over again in opposition to many of his advisers: 'I'm not taking this nation to war over a pile of junk.' That was his feeling and he felt it more strongly than anyone else in the room." ...
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