Adlai Stevenson

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Adlai Stevenson

Office: Ambassador to the United Nations
Age: 62
Time in Office: 1961-1965
Born: 1900
Died: 1965
Adlai Stevenson began his lifelong career in public service when he entered the Illinois bar to practice law in Chicago in 1926. From 1931 to 1934 he served in the federal government as special counsel first to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and later to the Federal Alcohol Control Administration. In 1941 he began a four-year stint as an assistant to the Secretary of the Navy. Stevenson helped launch the United Nations in 1945 and became a United States delegate in 1947. In 1948, he returned to his home state of Illinois and was elected governor. In 1952, Stevenson ran for president against the popular war hero Dwight Eisenhower. Despite being a sound candidate, Stevenson lost. He tried again in 1956, but also met with no success. After Kennedy won the 1960 presidential election, he appointed Stevenson as Ambassador to the United Nations. That gave Stevenson a cabinet post and a seat on EX-COMM.
Stevenson was the consummate diplomat and statesman. He was always aware of his place in history. Stevenson brought to EX-COMM the views of other countries in the world. Because of his role at he U.N. he knew what other countries would think about U.S. actions. On Wednesday, October 17, the Ambassador sent a memo to the president: "We must be prepared for the wide-spread reaction that if we have a missile in Turkey and other places surrounding the Soviet Union, surely they have a right to one in Cuba. If we attack Cuba, an ally of the USSR, isn't an attack on NATO bases equally justified?" After reading the statement, Robert Kennedy turned to Theodore Sorenson and sarcastically said, "Tell me which side he is on." That's how most of the EX-COMM members felt. Because Stevenson so forcefully voiced his often conflicting opinions, they couldn't tell if he was working with them or against them. Additionally, as a result of Stevenson's forcefulness, Kennedy appointed three more men to the committee to balance Stevenson's views.
Stevenson also played a key role in one of the most memorable moments of the crisis. On October 25, at the United Nations he asked Soviet Ambassador Zorin about the missiles in Cuba:
"Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the U.S.S.R. has placed and is placing medium- and intermediate-range missiles and sites in Cuba?... Don't wait for the translation! Yes or no?" Zorin responded, "I am not in an American courtroom, sir, and I do not wish to answer a question put to me in the manner in which a prosecutor does-" Then Stevenson interrupted and said, "You are in the courtroom of world opinion right now, and you can answer yes or no. You have denied that they exist, and I want to know whether I have understood you correctly.... I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over, if that's your decision. And I am also prepared to present the evidence in this room."
Zorin did not answer, so Stevenson proceeded to show the reconnaissance photographs to a stunned audience.
In conclusion, it can be said with certainty that Stevenson had a large impact on EX-COMM. The solution to the crisis was one that he predicted and worked for. Kennedy was often critical of Stevenson's views, but in the end he adopted his Ambassador's ideas: avoiding a military confrontation and finding a solution through negotiation, compromise, and inducement.