By: Bob McMillan
09/30/2011
On October 22, 1962 President John F. Kennedy, in a somber televised address to the nation dealing with missile bases being constructed by the Soviet Union in Cuba, said, “Within the past week unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in preparation on that imprisoned island.” Those remarks were not accurate based on my visit to the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in November of 1961 as Counsel to United States Senator Kenneth B. Keating.
As part of an eighteen person Congressional delegation, I toured central and South America to review United States military assistance programs. We visited Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Panama and Guantanamo Cuba.
It was in late November of 1961, soon after the failed Bay of Pigs Operation, that we touched down in Cuba. We were greeted by Rear Admiral E.J. O’Donnell who was in charge of the Guantanamo Naval Base. On the first night of our visit, purely by chance, I, along with Harry Dent who was, at that time, on the staff of Senator Strom Thurmond (D,SC), was briefed by the Admiral as we took a perimeter tour of the Base.
During that tour, Admiral O’Donnell outlined his views with regard to the Soviet Union’s military buildup in Cuba. MIG fighters and jet bombers had been deployed by the Soviets on the Island.
Then, he hit us with a statement which I will never forget. This is a quote from my memorandum to Senator Keating written on my return to Washington:
“Admiral O’Donnell also indicated that there is, in his opinion, conclusive evidence from intelligence sources that missile bases are being constructed in Cuba.” That statement by Admiral O’Donnell was eleven months before President Kennedy’s October 22, 1962 televised address to the nation.
Soon after my return to Washington, I drafted a letter to the Secretary of the Navy which Senator Keating signed. The letter concluded with this request: “If any Intelligence reports have indicated that missile sites are under construction or have been completed, please state what steps the United States Government has taken to confirm or deny their existence.”
The answer came back in a brief case handcuffed to a Navy sailor. The letter denied any knowledge of missile bases being constructed.
After the Keating letter arrived at the Department of the Navy, Senator Keating received anonymous feed-back from personnel in the Pentagon urging him to continue his pursuit of the issue, because he was on the “right track”. In addition, as media reports appeared about the Senator’s pursuit of the issue, political refugees from Cuba also contacted us supporting the accusation that missile bases were being constructed in Cuba.
How did the Admiral in charge of the Guantanamo Naval Base tell me that there was “conclusive evidence … that missile bases were being constructed in Cuba” when the Pentagon denied the existence of any such intelligence? And why did personnel in the Navy Department urge us to continue our efforts if no construction was actually underway?
What happened?
In my opinion, it was not about the 1962 Congressional elections. It was an intelligence failure similar to the errors about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq during the Administration of President George W. Bush.
The intelligence community did not properly evaluate and communicate evidence provided by political refugees from Cuba. There was also, at the time, a bureaucratic feeling that Soviet Union would never introduce missiles so close to the United States.
All of this leads me to the current reports suggesting that Iran is supporting Venezuela in the development of missile bases capable of delivering nuclear weapons to the mainland of the United States. While the State Department rejected the charges on May 21 2011, saying that there was “no evidence to support this claim”, the chatter still continues. I hope that this is not another intelligence failure by the United States Government similar to the errors 49 years ago during the Cuban Missile crisis.
In the current era of terrorism, the security of the United States demands that we have positive verifications of any possible attacks from overseas or at home. Venezuela, in my opinion, should receive the highest level of scrutiny.
Robert R. McMillan, Former Counsel to Senator Kenneth B. Keating (R, NY)
Please visit Mr.McMillan Website for more information:
Note: Also Read: Opinion: Iran is Building a Secret Missile Installation in Venezuela
