JFK, the Embargo of Cuba, and a Last Minute Cigar Run

This past October marked the 55th anniversary of President Kennedy’s National Address regarding a then developing “situation” known today as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The United States and Cuba have had frosty relations ever since Fidel Castro launched himself into power following the communist take-over in 1959. In fact, nearly two years before the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy was prepared to sign an executive order establishing a U.S. trade embargo on all exports into the Soviet-aligned Cuba.The President would ultimately issue that executive order — but it would have to wait until a certain “Cuban” problem was resolved. No, it wasn’t Castro that Kennedy wanted his hands on, rather it was his beloved cigarros — that is, his soon to be illegal cigars…

A day before President Kennedy was set to order the trade embargo, he called upon his Head of Press, Pierre Salinger, to take on a special mission. Kennedy requested for Salinger to stock up on 1,000 Petit Upmanns’ Cuban cigars; as they would be deemed contraband with the order’s signing.

The next morning, the young president entered the Oval Office and was told the mission was a success; he now possessed a stockpile of 1,200 of Cuba’s finest cigars. Without wasting any time, the President pulled open his desk drawer, whipped out the executive order and signed it into law.

Crisis averted. Cigars anyone?

Watch a resurfaced video of Pierre Salinger describing first-hand his conversations with President Kennedy (first minute of video).