Khrushchev Promises to Dismantle Missiles

Premier Nikita Khrushchev yesterday ordered Soviet officers to stop all work on Cuban rocket bases and to make the necessary arrangements for shipping missiles now on the island of Cuba back to the Soviet Union.

To the surprise of Pentagon officials, he also announced that a previous order had cancelled further work on the bases. Only Saturday, construction at the Cuban missile bases was reported in full swing.

Khrushchev added that he was ready to have representatives of the U.N. "verify the dismantling of these {weapons{." In his letter to President Kennedy, he also called for an end of the U.S. blockade of Cuba.

President Kennedy accepted the Soviet leader's proposals late in the afternoon, rocket removal must be carried out in detail. He said Khrushchev's decision made it possible for both nations to "step back from danger."

Kennedy had earlier welcomed Khrushchev's declaration and said it was a "statesmanlike" contribution to peace.

Neither the U.S. acceptance nor the Soviet announcement mentioned an earlier Russian proposal involving liquidation of NATO rocket bases in Turkey in return for the dismantling of the rockets on Cuban soil.

Soviets Reassure Cubans

Khrushchev warned that the Soviet people "are not divesting themselves of the responsibility of granting help to the Cuban people." Alluding to the U.S. renaissance flights, Khrushchev went on to point out that violations of Cuban air space could have "dangerous consequences."

But the Soviet installations on Cuba are no longer necessary because of President Kennedy's offer to assurances Saturday against an invasion of Cuba, Khrushchev wrote.

The Khrushchev statement also warned of "an even more dangerous" incident which occurred yesterday when a U.S. reconnaissance plane flew over the Chuketski Peninsula- the Soviet territory closest to the State of Alaska. The Soviet premier asked that such flights over Russia as well as surveillance flights over Cuba be stopped. In his reply, President Kennedy said he regretted this incident and would do everything possible to prevent a recurrence.

U.N. Acting Secretary- General U Thant contributed to the lessening of tension with an announcement, yesterday, that he would go to Cuba at Prime Minister Fidel Castro's invitation to discuss the Cuban crisis. A U.N. spokesman said that Thant expects to leave for Cuba tomorrow.