Kennedy's American University Speech Was a Hit in the Soviet Union

Kennedy's American University speech was about as close as a U.S. President's speech could get to being a hit in the Soviet Union. ABC journalist Lisa Howard persuaded Atwood to draft a memo that laid out the rationale for a low-profile contact with Cuban authorities. Adlai Stevenson personally liked the proposal, but he was skeptical it would fly because "the CIA is still in charge of Cuba" On October 24, 1963, JFK met Fidel Castro at a meeting set up by Atwood.