Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-10-14
INTERPRETIVE REPORT ------ - =
Calls for Cuban Blockade
Pose Problem for Kennedy
INTERPRETIVE REPORT.

They have, however, worked
out some guidelines for policy.
whatever the eventual decision
on action might be:
Cd The United States must
cooperate to the fullest extent
possible with It's allies in order
to avoid a split like that with
Britain and France over their
Suez attack in 1856. This is a
severe handicap to advocates Of
action because the European
allies do not regard Cuba near
L y as seriously as 1t is viewed
| in the United States.
(2) If the United States ever
is compelled to act alone against
Castro 1t must do so upon evil
dence of q clear and imminent
Communist threat to the secur-
lily of the Western Hemisphere.
Only by invoking the right of
self-defense can this country
fulfill its treaty commitments
to consult and act jointly with
allied countries.
90 Whatever the action
taken, the United States must
be prepared to follow it through
effectively to victory. 1t cannot
risk another fateful blow to
prestige such as President Ken
nedy suffered in the failure Of
the Bay of Pigs invasion last
year.
Other Reasons Not to Act
In considering the kind of
blockade which some people
seem to have in mind-the use
of warships to sever Cuba's
maritime trade without regular
hostilities-the United States is
handicapped not alone by inter-
national law. Its own policies
since the time it became a
Nation are a deterrent.
International law recognizes
two kinds of blockade. One of
them is called pacific blockade
and the other is called bel
| ligerent blockade. The United
States has never used pacific
blockade. It was developed by
the imperial powers Of Europe
in the sailing ship days to i'm
pose their will on weaker coun-
tries. They would set some
armed vessels patrolling before
the harbor off the principal
port Of the blockaded country
and thereby deny it the use OF
its own ships for trade.
Sometimes one Of the block
aders would try to interfere
with the shipping Of a third
country. The United States
has always resisted any such
right of pacific blockade when
there was no declared war.
In 1902 Germany, Britain
and Italy were trying to force
Venezuela to pay certain debts.
They decided to blockade Vene-
zuela and wanted the United
States to submit its shipping
to their blockade policy. Secre-
tary of State John Hay fatty
refused to do so and when the
European powers acted they
created q state Of war with
Venezuela SO that they actually
Imposed a belligerent blockade
which the United States then
recognized.
Lansing Case Recalled
Secretary Of State Robert
Lansing notified France in De-
cember 1915 that the United
States "does not concede the
right Of q foreign power to in
terfere with the commercial
rights of (neutraD countries
by the establishment Of a block
ade in the absence Of a state
of war"
Thus the United States ap-
pears to be barred by the logic
of its own ong-established doc
trine from trying to throw a
peaceful Gordon Of warships
around Cuba-except in one
circumstance. This indeed ap-
pears to be a fair possibility
for action. If Castro begins
trying to export arms from Cuba
to subversive groups in other