Off target

Published on 13/09/2012 00:00

Andrew Gray (Letters, 12 September) is wrong to describe the Cuban missile crisis as a victory.

The verdict of then American ­defence secretary Robert McNamara is more accurate. He concluded, “we’re damned lucky to be here”.

The Americans were on the verge of launching a military invasion of Cuba, blind to the fact that this would have been met with a response from tactical ­nuclear weapons, which US intelligence had not detected.

In October 1962, the United States had 27,000 nuclear weapons, including some in Turkey, whereas the Soviet Union had only 3,000. The idea the Russia was in a dominant ­position and on the verge of invading Western Europe is pure fantasy.

John Ainslie
Scottish Campaign for 
Nuclear Disarmament

Glasgow