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A quote from a letter from Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis. I see, Mr. President, that you too are not devoid of a sen
by oilman 7y ago
A quote from a letter from Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis.
I see, Mr. President, that you too are not devoid of a sense of anxiety for the fate of the world understanding, and of what war entails. What would a war give you? You are threatening us with war. But you well know that the very least which you would receive in reply would be that you would experience the same consequences as those which you sent us. And that must be clear to us, people invested with authority, trust, and responsibility. We must not succumb to intoxication and petty passions, regardless of whether elections are impending in this or that country, or not impending. These are all transient things, but if indeed war should break out, then it would not be in our power to stop it, for such is the logic of war. I have participated in two wars and know that war ends when it has rolled through cities and villages, everywhere sowing death and destruction.
I worry that the current nationalist trend that seems to be simultaneously happening in many countries is going to lead down the long path to war. I don't see many leaders today that I think would have the diplomatic resolve to write a letter like this. I feel people are interpreting others actions in the least charitable way which causes all kinds of rifts. The deeper these rifts grow, the more likely we are to see someone ignite the spark of war. I honestly don't know the reasons, or if maybe its just my perception that has changed as I've gotten older.
- AnimalMuppet 7y agoBoth Krushchev and Kennedy had gone through World War II. They had seen what war is. It wasn't just stuff in a history book to them. That's why Krushchev could write such a letter, and why Kennedy could understand it as more than just an academic statement.
- jeremyjh 7y agoYes but the Soviets saw by far the worst of that war among the allies and Kruschev was in Stalingrad during the siege. I don't discount the possibility that Kennedy could have seen some horrors in the Pacific but Kruschev saw them visited on the civilians in his homeland. Its a whole different frame of reference.
- alxlaz 7y agoNot to minimize the destruction that Soviet Union (and much of Eastern Europe) had experienced, but Kennedy was not that much of a stranger of the horrors of war. In addition to whatever he saw on the Pacific front (which, if you'll recall, might have included some of the most horrendous atrocities of the war), his elder brother was killed during the war, too -- just like Khruschev lost his son during the war. IIRC, it's a fact that Khruschev himself reminded him of, during their private talks in Viena: they both knew, on a personal level, the kind of toll that war levies. The "burden" (Kennedy's words, not mine) of avoiding similar destruction was something that he carried every step of the way during the Berlin crisis and then, later, during the missile crisis. Both Kennedy and Khruschev, and others in their immediate circle, had this "more than academic" understanding of the tragedy of war. (edit: FWIW, my native country was no stranger to destruction in Europe. My grand-grandfather lost a brother and several friends at Stalingrad. I'm not some patriotic 'murican trying to save face for his president :-). I do think that losing a brother qualifies as having a pretty practical understanding of what war means.)
- claydavisss 7y agoKhrushchev was more than happy to posture when it came to the Berlin crisis, where the conventional strengths of the Soviet Union could be an advantage. When it came to Cuba he had no choice but to sue for peace - the USSR was bluffing regarding its own nuclear strength and would have been decimated in an intercontinental war with the US at the time.
- johnny313 7y agoThe irony is that our nation (I am an American) has been at war for over a decade, but much of our society has not. I am a staunch advocate for peaceful conflict resolution, informed in part by my experiences in the war in Iraq. If a larger part of our society had been actively involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (serving in the military, having a loved one deploy for months/years, paying higher taxes to support the war, etc), I wonder if our nation would be more wary of a force-first approach to foreign policy.
- oilman 7y agoIf there are any of the moderators reading this, I would love to know what this post did wrong to get shuffled to the very bottom of the conversation so I don't do it again. There must be some mod magic involved as it has a number of up-votes.
- the_af 7y agoI'm thankful I got to see your post while it was at the top. That fragment of Kruschev's letter is powerful and relevant. Thanks for posting it.