Dean Rusk

Cuban Missile Crisis: The Players Dossiers

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Dossiers

David Dean Rusk

Office: Secretary of State
Age: 56
Time in Office: 1961-1969
Born: 1909
Died: 1994
Dean Rusk described his own role within EX-COMM as that of a "dumb dodo." His approach to the meetings was slow and methodical. Often playing the devil's advocate, he wanted to prevent the formation of hasty conclusions. Rusk fulfilled the role of cautious diplomat. He stressed the importance of America's relationship with its 42 largest allies and felt that unilateral action by the United States was not a good choice.
At the first EX-COMM meeting Rusk saw two options for the U.S. to take. The first was a quick air strike without warning on Cuba to destroy the missile sites. The second option was a form of brinkmanship. He suggested threatening the Soviets, both militarily and diplomatically, and escalating the severity of those threats until they withdrew. Rusk stood by the idea of an air strike for some time, and on October 19, presented the idea to the President with Bundy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
After the decision for the blockade was made on October 22, Rusk drafted a letter and sent copies of it to each of America's allies, informing them of Kennedy's decision. Rusk also worked closely with Secretary General U Thant, Ambassador Stevenson, and Ambassador Zorin to find a resolution to the crisis.
In the wake of the Crisis's resolution, Rusk cautioned the press and the President not to gloat or claim victory. He rightly worried about undermining Khrushchev's position of power. If the Soviets felt as if they lost too much in the Crisis, hard-liners could have ousted Khrushchev. Then the careful agreement reached by both sides could have collapsed and the Crisis situation resumed.
Rusk's role in EX-COMM was often seen as insignificant, but recently new evidence has arisen to the contrary. It seems that Rusk played a more active, defining role on the committee. His quiet loyalty to the country and President proved to be important. Without Rusk's behind the scenes work, the Crisis resolution would have had a different look.