Shortly after I entered the White House in 1961, a series of dramatic events occurred. In April 1961, the United States went through the disastrous error of the Bay of Pigs, in which Cuban exiles with the help of the U. S. government tried to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Several months later, the president called me into his office in the early evening.
"Pierre, I need some help," he said solemnly.
"I'll be glad to do anything I can, Mr. President," I replied.
"I need a lot of cigars."
"How many, Mr. President?"
"About 1,000 Petit Upmanns."
I shuddered a bit, although I kept my reaction to myself. "And, when do you need them, Mr. President?"
"Tomorrow morning."
I walked out of the office wondering if I would succeed. But since I was now a solid Cuban cigar smoker, I knew a lot of stores, and I worked on the problem late into the evening.
The next morning, I walked into my White House office at about 8 a.m., and the direct line from the president's office was already ringing. He asked me to come in immediately.
"How did you do, Pierre?" he asked, as I walked through the door.
"Very well," I answered. In fact, I'd gotten 1,200 cigars. Kennedy smiled, and opened up his desk. He took out a long paper which he immediately signed. It was the decree banning all Cuban products from the United States. Cuban cigars were now illegal in our country.
Salinger