 
in the midst of these deliberations, another message came, to change the 
whole course of events and alter history. 
major rudolf anderson, jr., from south carolina, one of the two air force 
pilots who had carried out the original u 2 reconnaissance that uncovered the 
presence of missiles in cuba, had since flown several other 
photo-reconnaissance missions and was flying one that saturday morning, 
october 27. 
our meeting was interrupted by the report that his plane had been hit by a 
sam missile, that it had crashed in cuba, and that he had been killed. 
there was sympathy for major anderson and his family. 
there was the knowledge that we had to take military action to protect our 
pilots. 
there was the realization that the soviet union and cuba apparently were 
preparing to do battle. 
and there was the feeling that the noose was tightening on all of us, on 
americans, on mankind, and that the bridges to escape were crumbling. 
"how can we send any more u 2 pilots into this area tomorrow unless we 
take out all of the sam sites?" the president asked. 
"we are now in an entirely new ball game." 
at first, there was almost unanimous agreement that we had to attack early 
the next morning with bombers and fighters and destroy the sam sites. 
but again the president pulled everyone back. 
"it isn"t the first step that concerns me," he said, "but both sides 
escalating to the fourth and fifth step, and we don"t go to the sixth because 
there is no one around to do so. 
we must remind ourselves we are embarking on a very hazardous course." 
he asked for absolute verification that the u 2 was shot down and did not 
crash accidentally, and for a careful review, "before we decide finally what we 
shall do," of the implications of all possible courses of action. 
