This Week In Cigar History: February 4th-10th

This week on February 7th, 1962, John F. Kennedy, the last president to regularly light up a cigar (reportedly Cuban 1200 H Upmann Petit Corona Cigars and Philippine Alhambras), signed an executive order banning imports of all Cuban products. His historic decree was an extension of President Eisenhower’s partial embargo and in direct response to Cuba’s close alignment with the Soviet Union and the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Although one White House insider later claimed in an interview that Cuban cigars were supposed to be exempt from the ban but “…the cigar manufacturers in Tampa objected…”, President Kennedy’s exalted action to send his Press Secretary Pierre Salinger out to stockpile Cuban smokes prior to the ban is historic cigar mythology.

As recounted by Salinger, it was in the early evening hours of February 6th, 1962, that Kennedy summoned him into the Oval Office and urgently requested the Press Secretary round up about 1000 Petit Upmanns overnight. Fortunately, the cigar loving Salinger had his sources and was able to scour up 1200 of the stogies in time for Kennedy’s early AM legislative enactment.

Sadly for many stateside cigar lovers, the longest modern trade embargo in USA history is still in place.

news@doubledownmedia.com

2/4/08

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