Posted on 12/24/2012 7:32:41 PM PST by Jyotishi
Washington - Six months after the 1962 Chinese aggression on India, the US had contemplated using nuclear weapons in the event of another attack from Beijing as it was determined to prevent an Indian defeat at the hands of the Communists.
The then president John F Kennedy, at a meeting with his top military aides on May 9, 1963, had expressed clear determination not to let Beijing defeat New Delhi, with his defence secretary even talking about using nuclear weapons against China if it launched another attack against India.
These disclosures have come in a just released book ‘Listening In: The Secret White House Recordings of John F Kennedy’ co-authored by Ted Widmer and Caroline Kennedy.
“I gather we’re coming to the defence of Israel and Saudi Arabia. What I think we ought to think about is, (unclear) it’s desirable (?) for us, to give India a guarantee which actually we would carry out. I don’t think there’s any doubt that this country is determined that we couldn’t permit the Chinese to defeat the Indians,” Kennedy said. “If we would, we might as well get out of South Korea and South Vietnam. So I think that’s what we’ll decide at the time. Now, therefore, I don’t mind making, seeing us make some commitments. Now, if it is politically important,” he said. Kennedy was quoted by the book as making these remarks in the White House meeting with his Defence Secretary Robert McNamara and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Davenport “Max” Taylor.
Kennedy was US President from 1961 until his death in 1963. The book is a selection of audio recordings of Kennedy’s conversations and meetings at the White House.
The recordings have been selected from the hidden recording systems in the Oval Office and in the Cabinet Room installed by Kennedy in July 1962, in an effort to preserve an accurate record of Presidential decision-making in a highly charged atmosphere of conflicting viewpoints, strategies and tactics.
Still, some countries just need nuking.
“Defense secretary talking about it” is a lot different than the US launching nuclear war. Smells like BS to me.
It’s the only way to be sure.
Opportunity that should have been taken but missed!!!
'"This is just one spectacular aspect of the overall problem of how to cope with Red China politically and militarily in the next decade." He added: "I would hate to think that we would fight this on the ground in a non-nuclear way."'
Ironically, the US would engage in a non nuclear battle in Vietnam against Chinese aided and supplied forces.
It’s just a question of time until somebody uses nukes.
What would be more devastating? A few tactical nukes or a few EMP devices?
And on Nov. 22, 1963, less than seven months later JFK was assassinated under mysterious circumstances.
Could this have been the motive?
It will be 50 years since JFK’s demise next November. A bunch of interesting stuff may be forthcoming.
The Feds will never release the info they have on the Kennedy assassination. It would likely prove the close links between the Feds and organized crime and it would show the Feds are not all powerful.
The world was a better place when Democratic leadership didn’t completely hate America.
the hidden recording systems in the Oval Office and in the Cabinet Room installed by Kennedy in July 1962, in an effort to preserve an accurate record of Presidential decision-making in a highly charged atmosphere of conflicting viewpoints, strategies and tactics.
Probably the first thing Obama had removed, er renovated.
You are probably correct.
“National Archives to Keep JFK Secrets until 2017
The National Archives (NARA) today turned down the request of a Washington non-profit public interest group to declassify secret records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in time for the 50th anniversary of that tragic event in 2013...”
http://jfkfiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/national-archives-to-keep-jfk-secrets.html
EMP would. Either justifies an annihilation retaliation.
Tactical nuke would mostly kill people not destroy infrastructure.
EMP has a 900 mile radius.
JFK was a disaster as a President.
In his first 100 days he got 5000 killed at the Bay of Pigs.
He followed that up by getting us into Vietnam, nearly starts WWIII with the Soviets and the left idolizes him.
Now this!
Thank God we didn’t nuke them. It would have marked the end of capitalism.
Depends on the country used on - in some of the backwards places, an EMP might inconvenience the despots in power but the people in the mud hut villages might not realize anything had happened...
Contingency planning, that’s all.
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