• Listen to the news conference (32 minutes)
• Read transcript (20 minutes)
Kennedy declined to revisit the Cuban operation in detail, referring journalists to his statement of the previous day, an address before the American Society of Newspaper Editors. When NBC correspondent Sander Vanocur pressed him further, Kennedy offered the line that has come to define his response: “There's an old saying that victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.” He then stated plainly, “I am the responsible officer of the government,” explaining that his reluctance to elaborate further was not to conceal responsibility but because he did not believe such a discussion would benefit the country during the present difficult situation.
He noted that consultations with other American republics were continuing, and that active efforts were being made on behalf of various individuals, including Americans, who might be in danger.
The remainder of the conference turned to unrelated matters: his tax investment incentive plan before Congress, Secretary McNamara’s pending investigation of Major General Edwin Walker, the guerrilla conflict in Vietnam, and a recent consultation with former Vice President Richard Nixon.
Kennedy’s public acceptance of responsibility, though brief, became one of the most cited moments of his presidency.
• Title: Kennedy’s Bay of Pigs News Conference
• Author: John F. Kennedy
• Type: Speech
• Publisher: n/a
• Publication time: April 21, 1961
• Publication place: State Department Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
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