WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 1962 (UPI) -- President Kennedy today rejected Soviet Premier Khrushchev's proposal to trade the Russian missile base in Cuba for the NATO missile base in Turkey. Instead, President Kennedy again demanded that Cuban rocket sites be dismantled under international inspection.
The President's response was contained in a White House statement after the Khrushchev offer was broadcast by Radio Moscow.
In his answer to Khrushchev, Kennedy said:
"The first imperative must be to deal with that immediate threat, under which no sensible negotiations can proceed," the White House said.
"It is therefore the position of the United States that as an urgent preliminary to consideration of any proposals, work on the Cuban bases must stop; offensive weapons must be rendered inoperable and further shipment of offensive weapons to Cuba must cease -- all under effective international verification."
The White House statement did not refer to Turkey by name. But Khrushchev had said the United States should withdraw its rockets from that country if the Soviets withdrew from Cuba.
The U. S. statement contained this comment:
"As to proposals concerning the security of nations outside this hemisphere, the United States and its allies have long taken the lead in seeking properly inspected arms limitations on both sides. These efforts can continue as soon as the present Soviet-created threat is ended."
Khrushchev had made his offer subject to these conditions:
The Soviet Union would pledge I the Security Council of the United Nations that it would never attack Turkey from Russian territory if the United States would make a similar pledge never to attack Cuba from its territory.
Russia would remove from Cuba the weapons President Kennedy considers "offensive." In turn, the United States must recall from Turkey weapons called "offensive" by Khrushchev.
Dismantling of bases would be confirmed by an inspecting team from United Nations.
Khrushchev also stated that the weapons which the United States finds objectionable in Cuba are under Soviet control.
"Therefore any accidental use of them to the detriment of the U. S. A. is excluded," he said.
Defense and diplomatic observers supported the President.
A Defense Department spokesman said "there is no slightest indication" that the Russians have yet slowed construction of missile bases in Cuba. He said his information was current and factual and based on present observation of the construction activity in Cuba.
Khrushchev's proposal strikes at the heart of the NATO defense concept, a diplomatic official said. He said it would be impossible to see how the U. S. could agree to a straight trade. Kennedy has stated that NATO bases and the secret arming of Cuba are separate issues.
While the present exchange appears to have introduced an element of time in negotiations, the key to Kennedy's Monday policy declaration remains unaltered.
This is: "...Should these offensive military preparations continue, thus increasing the threat to the hemisphere, further action will be justified."
Khrushchev's proposal was broadcast over Radio Moscow shortly after Turkey's Foreign Minister Feridun Cemal Erkin said in Istanbul that it was "out of the question" for the United States to abandon its Turkish military bases.
Khrushchev told Kennedy, "we agree to remove from Cuba the means which you consider aggressive. Your representatives will then remove analogous means from Turkey. Let us settle on a term for this, and then UN representatives could control this.
"Let us make in the Security Council a statement that the USSR will respect the sovereignty of Turkey and not allow its territory to be used for aggression against Turkey. A similar statement in the framework of the Security Council will be made by the U. S. A. regarding Cuba."
Khrushchev said if Kennedy agreed with his proposal, the Soviet Union would send delegates to the United Nations with the necessary instructions.
He said such a step would mean the beginning of the elimination of bases and would be a step on the road to banning atomic weapons.
On the atom testing question, he said, "our stand and your stand are very near."
Khrushchev also said he thought Kennedy's order to U. S. ships to avoid, for the moment, confrontations with Soviet vessels bound for Cuba was a "reasonable" step.
He said he thought it was a good thing that the President had agreed to talks on the Cuba crisis with the participation of Acting Secretary General Thant.
