Sept. 1, 1962 - With tensions again mounting rapidly in U.S.-Cuban relations, the Kennedy Administration appeared determined today to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. Two vessels, believed to be Cuban, fired on a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft Thursday over international waters close to Cuba. The White House announced yesterday that U.S. aircraft will now be authorized to fire back if attacked. Today, Admiral Robert L. Dennison, Atlantic Fleet commander, indicated that fighter interceptor planes from Florida bases might be called out to protect the unarmed patrol aircraft. It was also believed in Washington that Navy attack planes stationed at the Guantanamo naval base would be available to protect patrols. Navy planes and surface units have long maintained a close surveillance of the Cuban shores, with their interest centering on the Soviet-bloc shipping bound for the island’s harbors. The naval watch has grown as a result of a recent increase in arrivals of Soviet military materiel, industrial equipment, and thousands of technicians as part of the Communist program of assistance to the Castro regime.
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