Oct. 23, 1962 - The United States charged in the U.N. Security Council today that the Soviet Union had converted Cuba into “a bridgehead and staging area” in the Western Hemisphere. It urged the Council to call for the immediate removal of missiles and other offensive weapons from Cuba to help stop the Soviet program of “piecemeal aggression.” Adlai Stevenson (right), chief representative for the U.S., also said: “We still hope, we still pray, that the worst may be avoided — that the Soviet leadership will call an end to this ominous adventure.” Mr. Stevenson emphasized, however, that “since the end of the Second World War, there has been no threat to the vision of peace so profound.” “The hopes of mankind are concentrated in this room,” he said. “The action we take may determine the future of civilization.”
