Kennedy's 'victory map' of Cuba auctioned for over $138k
15 April 2018 5:30 PM GMT
Boston: Former US President John F Kennedy's personal 'victory map' of Cuba - used during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 - has been sold at an auction for USD 138,798.
The map, consisting of two sheets once taped together at the centre, features eight types of sticker symbols applied to the surface, representing Soviet MiG fighter jets, Komar-class missile boats, IL-28 bombers, SS-4 missiles,
SSM-Cruise missiles and nuclear storage sites.
The intelligence represented by the map was supplied by U-2 spy planes, confirming Kennedy's worst fears of an increasing Soviet military presence just one hundred miles away from the American coast.
The map, marked "Secret" in the lower left and upper right corners, was originally expected to fetch USD 20,000, according to the US-based RR Auction.
A two-page key paper-clipped to the upper right corner, headed "MRBM-IRBM Status of Cuban Missiles," dated October 27, 1962, summarises the Soviet military buildup, listing sites, enumerating number of launchers and missiles, and completion status.
The map shows the position of every Soviet missile, bomber and fighter jet and nuclear storage facility in Cuba as of noon on Saturday, October 27, 1962.
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