Had the United States launched an airstrike and invaded Cuba, the Soviet commander on the scene would almost certainly have responded with about 100 tactical nuclear weapons under his control вЂ“ tactical nuclear weapons JFK did not even know were on the island. As he wrote in his notes while discussing this option, вЂњif we go in, we go in hard.вЂќ Had President Kennedy been forced to choose a response in the first 48 hours after an American spy plane discovered the Soviets sneaking nuclear-tipped missiles into Cuba, RFK had no doubt that his brother would have chosen an air strike against the missile sites, followed by an invasion. Robert KennedyвЂ™s writings make vivid how close we came to the brink of war. KennedyвЂ™s personal files that have just last week been opened at the John F.

This draft speech is among several thousand drafts, letters, and handwritten notes from Robert F. These are the words President Kennedy almost delivered in October 1962 announcing what could have been World War III. вЂњMy fellow Americans, with a heavy heart, and in necessary fulfillment of my oath of office, I have ordered вЂ“ and the United States Air Force has now carried out вЂ“ military operations with conventional weapons only, to remove a major nuclear weapons build-up from the soil of Cuba.вЂќ

When did world war 3 end