Oct. 26, 1962 - The Soviet Union agreed today to keep its vessels away from the United States blockade area around Cuba for the time being. The U.S. responded with a pledge to try to avoid a direct confrontation “in the next few days.” The pledges from Premier Khrushchev and President Kennedy were made in reply to a new appeal from the Acting Secretary General of the U.N., U Thant. He asked them to avoid action for a “limited time” to allow discussion on the Cuban crisis. President Kennedy, in his reply to Mr. Thant, again protested that construction was going ahead on Soviet missile installations in Cuba.
