>>> TONIGHT, THE UNITED STATES IS THE CLOSEST IT HAS BEEN TO
NUCLEAR WAR SINCE THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS IN 1962.
BUT IN 1962, NO ONE WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE MENTAL STABILITY OF
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
NO ONE WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S RECKLESS
IMPULSIVENESS. NO ONE WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT'S CHILDISH NEED TO PROVE HIMSELF.
NO ONE WAS WORRIED THAT THE PRESIDENT MIGHT NOT REALIZE THE
SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION. PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
DEFEATED ADLAI STEVENSON IN THE RUN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINATION IN 1960, THEN APPOINTED STEVENSON AMBASSADOR
TO THE UNITED NATIONS. AMBASSADOR S STEVENSON WAS EVER
BIT AS WISE AND STEADY AS PRESIDENT KENNEDY DURING THE
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. AND AMBASSADOR STEVENSON PROVED
HIS CASE THAT THE SOVIET UNION HAD PLACED MISSILES IN CUBA
CAPABLE OF LAUNCHING A DEVASTATING NUCLEAR ATTACK ON
THE UNITED STATES. >> AT THE END OF THE ROAD THERE
ARE SEVEN 1,000-MILE MISSILE TRAILERS.
THERE ARE FOUR LAUNCHER ERECTOR MECHANISMS FOR PLACING THESE
TRAILERS IN ERECT FIRING POSITION.
THIS MISSILE IS A MOBILE WEAPON WHICH CAN BE MOVED RAPIDLY FROM
ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER. IT IS IDENTICAL WITH THE
1,000-MILE MISSILES, WHICH HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED IN MOSCOW
PARADES. >> THEN ADLAI STEVENSON SPOKE
DIRECTLY TO THE SOVIET AMBASSADOR, WITH THE WHOLE WORLD
WATCHING, KNOWING THAT WE WERE ON THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR WAR.
>> AS TO THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH MR. SORAN HAS
SPOKEN ABOUT WITH SUCH SCORN, I WONDER IF THE SOVIET UNION WOULD
ASK ITS CUBAN COLLEAGUE TO PERMIT A UNITED NATIONS TEAM TO
GO TO THESE SITES. IF SO, I ASSURE YOU WE CAN
DIRECT THEM TO THE PROPER PLACES VERY QUICKLY.
AND NOW I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET DOWN TO BUSINESS, THAT WE CAN
STOP THIS SPARRING. WE KNOW THE FACTS AND SO DO YOU,
SIR. AND WE ARE READY TO TALK ABOUT
THEM. OUR JOB HERE ISN'T TO SCORE
DEBATING POINTS.
OUR JOB, MR. ZORAN, IS TO SAVE THE PEACE.
IF YOU ARE READY TO TRY, WE ARE. >> AND SO THEY SAVED THE PEACE.
RUSSIA REMOVED THOSE MISSILES FROM CUBA.
OUR JOB HERE IS NOT TO SCORE DEBATING POINTS, SAID ADLAI
STEVENSON. EVERY SERIOUS AMBASSADOR TO THE
UNITED NATIONS HAS ALWAYS KNOWN THAT.
WHAT WAS DONALD TRUMP TRYING TO DO TODAY BY CALLING THE LEADER
OF NORTH KOREA ROCKET MAN? THAT IS THE TRUMP VERSION OF
SCORING A DEBATING POINT. YOU SAW IT IN THE REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES WHEN HE CALLED HIS OPPONENTS NAMES.
THAT'S HOW SOME CHILDREN THINK YOU WIN FIGHTS.
LYING TED, LITTLE MARCO, CROOKED HILLARY.
AND NOW ROCKET MAN. WHO IS THE NORTH KOREAN EXPERT
IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WHO ADVISED THE PRESIDENT TO SAY
THAT? NORTH KOREA DOES NOT HAVE A
NUCLEAR WEAPON THAT CAN REACH THE UNITED STATES.
WHEN ADLAI STEVENSON WAS STARING DOWN THE SOVIET UNION IN THE
UNITED NATIONS, RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS WERE 90 MILES AWAY IN
CUBA, ENOUGH TO DESTROY THE UNITED STATES.
ADLAI STEVENSON DID NOT CALL THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR NAMES.
HE CALLED HIM MR. ZORAN. MR. ZORAN.
AND NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV'S GOVERNMENT POSED A MUCH DEADLIER
THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES ON THAT DAY THAN NORTH KOREA DOES
NOW. BUT THAT DID NOT PROVOKE THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR
TO CALL THEIR ADVERSARIES NAMES. TO, AS PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLED IT
TODAY, TOTALLY DESTROY NORTH KOREA IS TO TOTALLY KILL 20
MILLION PEOPLE. THAT IS A WAR CRIME.
THE OBJECTIVE OF WAR IS TO DEFEAT ENEMY FORCES.
THERE ARE 1 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE NORTH KOREAN MILITARY.
DONALD TRUMP DID NOT THREATEN TO DEFEAT THE NORTH KOREAN MILITARY
TODAY. HE DID NOT THREATEN TO KILL KIM
JONG UN TODAY IN THE NORTH KOREAN LEADERSHIP.
HE THREATENED TO DESTROY NORTH KOREA.
THAT IS ACTUALLY WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO TO BE SURE THAT WE
KILLED KIM JONG UN, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS.
IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR WAR, WE WOULD NOT KNOW WHERE TO
TARGET KIM JONG UN. AND SO IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET
HIM, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KILL HIM, YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO
KILL EVERYONE, EVERY MAN, WOMAN, CHILD, BABY, IN NORTH KOREA.
AND IN THE PROCESS YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO WATCH TENS OF
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, AT LEAST, MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN, BABIES,
KILLED IN SOUTH KOREA, AS INNOCENT BYSTANDERS, AS NORTH
KOREA RETALIATES AGAINST THE 50 MILLION PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN SOUTH
KOREA. AND THAT IS WHY NUCLEAR WAR WITH
NORTH KOREA HAS BEEN UNTHINKABLE, COMPLETELY,
ABSOLUTELY FOREVER UNTHINK ABOUTABLE UNTHINKABLE TO EVERY
PRESIDENT EXCEPT THE FRIGHTENINGLY UNTRAINED MAN WHO
IS NOW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
NORTH KOREA IS LED BY ITS MOST INEXPERIENCED, MOST UNTRAINED,
AND MOST RECKLESS LEADER THAT IT'S EVER HAD.
SO IS THE UNITED STATES. DONALD TRUMP DOES NOT HAVE ADLAI
STEVENSON AT THE UNITED NATIONS. HE DOES NOT HAVE A SECRETARY OF
STATE OR ANYONE WORKING NEAR HIM WITH ENOUGH INFLUENCE OVER HIM
TO MAKE HIM UNDERSTAND WHAT A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
IS SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS.
NEVER MIND WHAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS ACTUALLY
SUPPOSED TO THINK. WE DON'T HAVE THE SLIGHTEST
INDICATION THAT DONALD TRUMP ACTUALLY THINKS ABOUT ANY OF
THIS, EXCEPT THE NICKNAMES. EXCEPT THE NICKNAMES.
THAT'S HIS SPECIALTY. REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE
"ROCKET MAN" BIT WAS A LATE INSERTION IN DONALD TRUMP'S
TELEPROMPTER THIS MORNING. THAT MEANS THE SPEECHWRITERS
DIDN'T PUT IT THERE. THAT MEANS THE FOREIGN POLICY
ADVISERS DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS THE WAY FOR A PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES TO SPEAK. THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH TODAY WAS
THE WORST EVER DELIVERED BY THE UNITED STATES AT THE UNITED
NATIONS. IT RANGED FROM THE VULGAR TO A
MUDDY PUDDLE OF INCOHERENCE. >> AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES, I WILL ALWAYS PUT AMERICA FIRST.
JUST LIKE YOU AS THE LEADERS OF YOUR COUNTRIES WILL ALWAYS AND
SHOULD ALWAYS PUT YOUR COUNTRIES FIRST.
>> THE WHOLE POINT OF THE UNITED NATIONS IS THERE WILL COME
MOMENTS WHERE WE WILL ASK OTHER COUNTRIES TO MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS
TO THE WORLD AND TO OTHER COUNTRIES, AND SOMETIMES THEIR
NEIGHBORS. IN OTHER WORDS, MOMENTS WHERE WE
WILL ASK THEM NOT TO PUT THEIR COUNTRIES FIRST ABOVE ALL ELSE.
DONALD TRUMP SPENT MOST OF THE REST OF HIS SPEECH TALKING ABOUT
THE COUNTRIES WHO HE FIRMLY BELIEVES SHOULD NEVER, EVER PUT
THEIR COUNTRIES FIRST. COUNTRIES LIKE NORTH KOREA AND
OF COURSE IRAN. >> THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT MASKS
A CORRUPT DICTATORSHIP BEHIND THE FALSE GUISE OF A DEMOCRACY.
THE IRAN DEAL WAS ONE OF THE WORST AND MOST ONE-SIDED
TRANSACTIONS THE UNITED STATES HAS EVER ENTERED INTO.
FRANKLY, THAT DEAL IS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE UNITED
STATES. AND I DON'T THINK YOU'VE HEARD
THE LAST OF IT, BELIEVE ME. >> AND SO THE LESSON FOR NORTH
KOREA AT THE UNITED NATIONS TODAY WAS, THERE IS NO SUCH
THING AS A NUCLEAR DEAL WITH THE UNITED STATES.
DONALD TRUMP IS THREATENING TO PULL OUT OF THE DEAL THAT IRAN
MADE IN WHICH IRAN AGREES NOT TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
EXACTLY WHAT THE UNITED STATES WANTED IRAN TO AGREE TO.
EXACTLY WHAT THE UNITED STATES WOULD LIKE NORTH KOREA TO AGREE
TO. THE ALTERNATIVE TO WAR IS
DIPLOMACY. NEGOTIATION.
WHY WOULD ANYONE IN THE NORTH KOREAN REGIME BELIEVE TODAY THAT
IT IS POSSIBLE TO NEGOTIATE THEIR WAY OUT OF THIS
CONFRONTATION WITH THE UNITED STATES?
IRAN TRIED TO DO THAT AND LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THEM.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES TO THREATEN
IRAN EVERY DAY AND THREATEN TO BREAK ITS DEAL WITH IRAN.
"OUR JOB HERE IS NOT TO SCORE DEBATING POINTS."
SO SAID OUR UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR 55 YEARS AGO.
AND TONIGHT, 55 YEARS LATER, WE HAVE A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES WHO SEEMS TO THINK THAT HIS JOB, HIS ONLY JOB IN PRESS
CONFERENCES, ON T TWITTER OR AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY