Credit: Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston. Digital Identifier: JFKWHP-AR6830-B.
Andrei Gromyko was Soviet Foreign Minister from 1957 to 1985. He had reportedly initially opposed the idea of placing Soviet missiles in Cuba, and was worried about the U.S. reaction after their discovery. On October 18 Gromyko met with President Kennedy, unaware that the President already knew about the missiles. Gromyko read out a statement asserting that Soviet aid to Cuba was solely to improve Cuba’s defense capabilities. Kennedy did not disclose his knowledge of the missiles, but in response re-read his September 4 statement, reminding Gromyko that the U.S. would not tolerate offensive weapons in Cuba. After the meeting, Gromyko concluded that “a USA military adventure against Cuba is almost impossible to imagine”, and the Kremlin did not suspect the U.S. discovery of the missile sites until the announcement of Kennedy’s television address to the nation on October 22. After the missile crisis, Gromyko was involved in the negotiations of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty as well as SALT I and II.