◆ SpookStack

109. Memorandum for the Director, ‘Your Briefings of the NSC Executive Committee,”” 3 November 1962 Vers Bufivas | te NSC Yreudlar Conon 1, On 23 October you gave a brief intelligence report saying that construction at the sites wes continuing. Lamdahl briefed on the most recent photographs. It wes at this meeting that it was left to your i discretion to consider the matter of disclosures of photos and you sent Lundahl and Cline to New York to assist Stevenson, i | q | j | | | | | At an evening meeting that day you briefed on military developments within the WARSAW Pact countries, describing an increased level of Soviet military communications. 2. On 24 October you briefed om the continued rapid progress in the completion of the missile sites and of the fact that 22 Soviet missile ships were en route to Cuba. . 3. On 25 October you told the Group there had been no change in the construction pace; you covered the Watch Committ e report nemmamamre/ that Soviet armed forces were increasing aS AI state of readiness; you described the Soviet ships Sat route to Cuba carrying helicopters; aamt-yrw- covered the departure of a Cubana plane from Canada to Havanajand also briefed on the turn-around of 15 of the 22 Soviet ships. - At an evening meeting you briefed in detail on the status of Soviet shipping E 4, On 26 October, which was attended by Stevenson, you covered the Watch Committee report which concluded that Soviet armed forces had completed measures for an alert but that here were no significant deployments. You ‘ continued construction at the missile bases estimating that it had cost the Soviet less than one- half as much to put these in Cuba rather than build ICBM's in the USSR. You summarized the status of shipping and made the point that nex—blockade xen-S; ships coukd carzy Soviet arms, ami You reviewed brieily Castrosapprehensive seaction to the US quaranting, Mi Stems 7% Rar on upriiirg, 353