October 19, 1960: Transatlantic Satellite Link Planned, Cuba Says US Air-Drops Arms to Rebels, Nixon for Cuba Quarantine

The United States, Britain and France are planning the first transatlantic satellite link, the New York Times reported today. "Eventually, the satellites would be expected to handle several hundred trans-Atlantic telephone calls at one time or broadcast transoceanic television programs. Development of a satellite for such an international communications system is already far along at the Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey. ... Not only would it represent a pioneering effort in the commercial exploitation of space, but, perhaps even more significantly in terms of public policy, it could also establish a precedent for private ownership and operation of space communications systems. The case for private, rathern than public, ownership of space communications has been stressed by Bell officials in public speeches and in discussion s with government space officials."

At the United Nations Cuba accused the United Sates of dropping military supplies by air to rebels "to reinforce revolutionary elements [that would] ... create a spearhead of an invasion to overthrow the Castro government.

Meanwhile, Vice President Richard Nixon called for a quarantine of Cuba to prevent it from exporting its revolution to other Latin American countries.

Sen. J. W. Fulbright (D-Arkansas) accused Vice President Richard Nixon today of expressing regret to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev over President Eisenhower's declaration of Captive Nations Week, which states that "the enslavement of a substantial part of the world's population by Communist imperialism makes a mockery of the idea of peaceful co-existence." A Nixon spokesman called the Fulbright charge "an obvious smear."

Allai Stevenson also criticized Nixon, saying that to keep the peace it was necessary to keep Nixon's "dangerous impetuosity" out of the White House.

And Sen. John F. Kennedy charged Nixon with "malicious distortion" in suggesting that his policies would lead to "surrender." Kennedy said, "I will not cut our present commitment to the cause of freedom anywhere in the world -- the Formosa Strait, Latin America, Asia, Africa."