Oct. 25, 1962 - The Defense Department announced today the first interception of a Soviet ship (pictured) in the Cuban blockade. The ship, the oil tanker Bucharest, was not boarded and was allowed to continue after the Navy ascertained from its appearance that it had only petroleum aboard, a Pentagon spokesman said. The encounter took place shortly after 8 a.m. This was 22 hours after President Kennedy’s proclamation of a quarantine on offensive arms for Cuba went into effect. Other Soviet ships are still headed for Cuba, it was said, although 12 have altered their course, presumably because they are carrying prohibited arms. The Pentagon refused to comment on reports that the mounting military build-up in Florida was in preparation for an invasion or bombardment of ballistic missile sites in Cuba.
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