MOSCOW, Oct. 23, 1962 (UPI) -- The Soviet Union accused the United States today of "taking a step along the road of unleashing a thermonuclear war" by its blockade of Cuba. The Russians called for an immediate meeting of the United Nations Security Council to deal with the situation and warned that "if the aggressors unleash war, the Soviet Union will deliver the mightiest retaliatory blow."
Military leaves were canceled and discharges for service were halted. Officials also summoned a military meeting of the Communist Warsaw Pact nations and said measures were being taken to enchase troop and naval preparedness.
In a government statement handed to U. S. Ambassador Foy Kohler, the Russians accused the United States of direct aggression against Cuba and repeated the claim that Soviet arm shipments to that country were solely for its defense.
The statement, broadcast by Radio Moscow, gave no hint as to whether the Russians would attempt to break the U. S. cordon around Cuba by sending through another shipload of arms.
Although its tone was indignant and harsh, it appeared to designate the UN Security Council as the arena for the first test of the U. S. decision.
It was understood on good authority here that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev had let it be known in Western diplomatic circles that he had given "go-through" orders to Soviet ships in the event that the American threw a cordon around Cuba.
It was not clear, however whether this would prevent Soviet ships from stopping to be searched if they were ordered.
Today's statement made no mention of any such order and left the Russians with a much more flexible public stand in the matter.
Most of the Soviet declaration -- the first Russian response to the U. S. quarantine order -- was devoted to sharply-worded criticism of U. S. policy in regard to Cuba.
"At this anxious hour, the Soviet Government regards it as its duty to issue a serious warning to the U. S. Government warning it that by taking the measures announced by President Kennedy it assumes a grave responsibility for the destinies of peace, is recklessly playing with fire."
It claimed that times have changed and the United States can no longer regard itself as the strongest military power.
"The U. S. President declared in his speech that if even a single nuclear bomb falls on U.S. territory, the United States would strike a retaliatory blow," the Russian statement said.
It charged that the U. S. declaration was "permeated with hypocrisy because the Soviet Union has already repeatedly declared that not a single Soviet nuclear bomb would fall either on the United States or on any other country, unless an aggression is committed.
"Nuclear weapons created by the Soviet people and in the hands of the people never will be used for the purposes of aggression. But if the aggressors touch off a war, the Soviet Union would strike a most powerful retaliatory blow," the statement said.
The Soviet declaration accused the United States of piracy and of assuming the role of "international gendarme."
"The peoples of all countries must be clearly aware, that undertaking such a gamble, the United States of American is taking a step along the road of unleashing a thermonuclear world war," it charged.
Nowhere in the statement was there any denial of President Kennedy's charges that the arms buildup in Cuba included preparation of sites for intermediate range ballistic missiles capable of striking offensive blows at targets throughout portions of Canada, the United States, Mexico and as far as the Panama Canal.
