October 23, 1962
Today I met in secret with General Robert Kennedy. He has filled me in about the details surrounding the U.S., the Soviet Union, and Cuba. I understand the Soviet's reasons behind helping Cuba become Communist but to the extreme of allowing nuclear weapons to be placed there seems too extreme. I know that President Kennedy is probably sweating like crazy from the anxiety of possible nuclear warfare. Due to both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.'s relations I know why neither wants to be the first one to back down and call a truce, but to act as though they even have the right to threaten one another with nuclear weapons could mean the end of not only sections of the U.S. or Russia, but also possibly the end of mankind. There is a reason why we do not use nuclear weapons, they are too dangerous to fire off, but to threaten one another with such weapons is bad enough. If all goes well I might be able to get Premier Khrushchev to back down. This will be difficult in order to not ruin the reputations of either Premier Khrushchev or President Kennedy. As long as General Kennedy gives me a little more time to convince Khrushchev to back down, this madness may be able to end, hopefully with the world still in tact. I do not understand why President Kennedy will not back down first, Americans are too proud. Oh well as long as one of them does. I am surprised that Cuba is willing to risk their precious island to anger the United States, what if the U.S. decided to blow up Cuba instead? I think that Cuba should have been smart and not allowed the Soviet's nuclear weapons to have been placed there in the first place. It is not like they need nuclear weapons to become a successful Communist state. I think I need a vacation from all of this stress already and I have only been informed of this today!
