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John Fitzgerald Kennedy , JFK, is one of the greatest icons of the 20th century, in addition to being President of the United States, he was also a great fan of Cuban cigars, especially the H. Upmann brand. Elected as America's hope, the young president and war hero faced the expansion of the Soviet Union's influence in Cuba at the beginning of his presidency, and it was precisely during one of the most tense episodes of the Cold War that perhaps the most unusual request in the world occurred of cigars.
Kennedy was introduced to cigars at a young age by his father, Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, who was a great connoisseur, during special moments they shared together. A contemporary of a time when great classics of music and cinema were still being released, JFK was fascinated by the Cuban puros, especially the H. Upmann Petit Corona .
Two years before assuming the presidency, in 1959, Fidel Castro was successful in promoting the coup that took him to command of the island of Cuba. When JFK took office, the relationship between the two countries was already strained, the United States had already imposed a partial embargo . But it was during the Kennedy administration that the relationship was completely severed. The American invasion at the Bay of Pigs was an attempt to remove Castro from power, however the effect was the opposite. The American failure made Fidel even stronger in power, and led to the total embargo of Cuba.
In the late afternoon of February 6, 1962, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger was summoned to the Oval Office. Salinger was also a great cigar connoisseur, he told the American magazine Cigar Aficionado how Kennedy asked him for help to maintain his cigar stock:
“Pierre, I need your help,” said Kennedy.
“President, I will do what I can to carry out the orders given to me,” Salinger responded.
“I need a lot of cigars”
“How many, sir? President?”
“ Some 1,000 Petit Upmanns ”
Pierre was shocked by the request, but maintained his composure and asked, “When will it happen, sir? President?”
“For tomorrow morning”
Pierre left the Oval Office wondering if it would be possible to carry out that mission, but as he was a big fan of Cuban cigars and had a lot of contacts, he worked all night. The next morning, he was summoned to the Oval Office again at 8 am.
“So, how did you do, Pierre?”
"Very good. I actually got 1,200 cigars.” Kennedy smiled, opened the first drawer of the resolute desk and took out a large piece of paper, which was signed immediately. It was February 7, 1962, that was the decree that embargoed all trade in Cuban products on American soil, from now on Cuban cigars were completely illegal.
The H. Upmann Petit Corona were discontinued in 2017 by Habanos SA, and were relaunched in the exclusive and limited edition H. Upmann Regalias LĂnea Retro in 2020. You can find here some cigars from the legendary brand founded by Herman Upmann and discover the flavor it achieved JFK and many others around the world. Enjoy!
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