Page "news" Paragraph 1993

Hours after a parade of his new Soviet tanks and artillery, Dictator Fidel Castro suddenly confronted the U.S. with a blunt and drastic demand: within 48 hours, the U.S. had to reduce its embassy and consulate staffs in Cuba to a total of eleven persons ( the embassy staff alone totaled 87 U.S. citizens, plus 120 Cuban employees ).

President Eisenhower held an 8:30 a.m. meeting with top military and foreign-policy advisers, decided to break off diplomatic relations immediately.

`` There is a limit to what the United States in self-respect can endure '', said the President.

`` That limit has now been reached ''.