Sterling silver plaque calendar by Tiffany & Co. representing the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, mounted on a walnut base, presented by President John F. Kennedy to his military aide General Chester V. Clifton, with both sets of initials—"C.V.C, J.F.K."—engraved at the top. Measuring an overall 4.5″ x 3.75″ x 1″, the piece features an October 1962 calendar with the days of the international emergency—October 16th through 28th—emphasized in bold. The sterling silver plaque bears the "Tiffany & Co., Sterling" hallmark in the lower right corner. In fine condition.
Commissioned by JFK to give to his closest advisors following the peaceful conclusion of the Cuban Missile Crisis, this is one of the rarest and most important presidential gifts. President Kennedy is believed to have presented 34 of these calendar paperweights to people in his strategic inner circle: among the recipients were the members of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (including Vice President Lyndon Johnson, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and others), close military aides and advisors (including General Chester V. Clifton, General Curtis LeMay, and Admiral George W. Anderson), and key White House staff (including First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger, and Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln). These were the heroic few who, with the world on the brink of nuclear destruction, helped President Kennedy to persevere through the crisis. As an exceedingly rare token of Kennedy's personal gratitude for aid during the Cuban Missile Crisis, this is a truly exquisite, museum-quality piece. Provenance: from the estate of General Chester V. Clifton, military aide to JFK.
