Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XI, Cuban Missile Crisis and Aftermath

24. Editorial Note

At 10 a.m. on October 17, 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff met and decided that a surgical strike against the MRBM sites alone represented an unacceptable risk. They incorporated their views in a memorandum to Secretary of Defense McNamara (JCSM-794-62;JCS Files), which suggested air attacks on a wide variety of military targets.