1. A Night Mission: Salinger's Cuban Cigar Sweep

Pierre Salinger was a French-American who had worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, later became an aide to Robert Kennedy, and ultimately served as White House Press Secretary. Like Kennedy, he was a man with a deep passion for Cuban cigars.

The moment he received the call, Salinger immediately understood the meaning behind the president's words. The next day, the United States would formally block all legal trade with Cuba, and the channel for Cuban cigars to enter the United States would be permanently closed. Before Kennedy signed the order, he wanted to make sure his personal humidor reserves were secure.

Salinger set out overnight. He called cigar merchants in Washington, D.C., contacted political friends, and nearly swept through every available stock of H. Upmann Petit Upmanns he could find in the capital. When dawn broke on February 7, 1962, Salinger returned to the White House and reported his results to the president.

"I got you more than 1,200," Salinger said.

When Kennedy heard that number, a satisfied expression finally appeared on his face. He opened his desk drawer, took out the prepared document, picked up his pen, and signed his name on Proclamation No. 3447.

The embargo officially took effect.

2. The Fog Around the Number: 1,200, 1,600, or "About 1,000"?

This story has circulated widely in cigar circles, but historical researchers soon discovered that different versions give rather inconsistent figures for the purchase quantity.

When Salinger himself was interviewed by Cigar Aficionado magazine in 1992, his recollection was phrased as "I found him about 1,000 Petit Upmanns," without mentioning 1,200. In later retellings, the number began to grow: some versions say "more than 1,200," while others even give the figure of 1,600.

In January 2025, the website Snopes conducted a systematic examination of the story and concluded: "Kennedy was indeed a well-known admirer of Cuban cigars, the embargo did indeed take effect in February 1962, and Salinger did describe this episode during his lifetime. However, the exact quantity purchased and the precise timing cannot currently be independently verified through official White House records, and the source of the entire story still relies mainly on Salinger's oral recollection 30 years later."

In other words: the story is credible, but it should not be cited as a document-verified historical fact. It is closer to a "well-founded legend" - a story that happens to align with human nature and with the political and cultural atmosphere of that era.

Whatever the exact number may have been, the core psychology captured by this episode is real: a man about to close the door with his own hand first moved the thing he cherished most into the house before shutting it.

3. Kennedy's World of Appreciation: Why H. Upmann Was the President's Choice

Before entering the White House, Kennedy was already a seasoned admirer of Cuban cigars. He particularly favored two cigars: H. Upmann Petit Upmanns and H. Upmann No.1, both from the same Havana brand with nearly 180 years of history.

H. Upmann was founded in Havana in 1844 by the German banker Herman Upmann. At first, its branded cigars were used as an alternative to sealing wax for business correspondence envelopes, and it gradually established an irreplaceable reputation in diplomatic and financial circles. After the Kaufmann family took over the brand in the 1930s, quality improved further, making it a preferred choice among Cuban presidents, diplomatic envoys, and East Coast American elites.

The H. Upmann Petit Upmanns measures approximately 42 ring gauge and 102mm in length. It belongs to the more delicate end of the Corona family and takes around 40-50 minutes to finish. Its style is known for refinement and balance: a gentle earthiness, subtle nutty undertones, and moderate strength. It is approachable yet sufficiently complex to give the appreciator something to savor. This "unostentatious refinement" happened to match the taste coordinates of the American elite in the 1960s - what they wanted was not showy intensity, but a composure that allowed one to settle down and think.

Today, H. Upmann is produced at the Briones Montoto factory (factory code: BSM), sharing facilities with brands such as Punch. In that era, H. Upmann, Montecristo, and Romeo y Julieta were the three best-known Cuban brands among American high society. Kennedy's choice reflected his conservative elite inclination in matters of taste - he chose a brand with more than a century of heritage, rather than Cohiba, which had not yet appeared at the time (El Laguito did not officially begin production until 1966).

4. Proclamation No. 3447: The Historical Coordinates of a Single Order

Proclamation No. 3447 took effect on February 7, 1962, announcing a comprehensive trade embargo against Cuba, covering all commercial trade originating from or going to Cuba.

The political background of the embargo was a complex Cold War chessboard: the success of the Castro Revolution in 1959, the large-scale nationalization of American corporate assets in 1960, the disastrous failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, and the Cuban Missile Crisis that would arrive three months later all formed the historical context for this order.

The impact on the Cuban cigar industry was immediate and far-reaching: the United States had been the largest export market for Cuban cigars, and legal channels were all closed overnight. Havana's predecessor institutions had to rapidly reorganize export strategy and shift their focus to European markets (the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany) and Asian markets - this transformation laid the foundation for the later historical distribution position of PCC Pacific Cigar within the Asia-Pacific system.

5. A 2026 Taiwan Perspective: From EO 3447 to EO 14404

Kennedy's 1962 embargo found a new historical echo 64 years later in 2026.

On May 1, 2026, the Trump administration signed executive order EO 14404, further strengthening the sanctions framework against Cuba and explicitly including foreign financial institutions within the potential scope of secondary sanctions - even non-U.S. institutions may face penalties if they are involved in helping to evade U.S. sanctions against Cuba.

For members of gentlemen's clubs in Taiwan, the direct impact is limited: Taiwan imports Cuban cigars through the regular distribution system of PCC Pacific Cigar, using authorized Habanos S.A. channels in Switzerland and Spain, and does not involve financial flows subject to U.S. sanctions. However, secondary flows in the global Cuban cigar market (auction houses, cross-border transactions, online platforms) have become more cautious due to EO 14404, and the cost of cross-border transactions for certain rare vintage collections is rising.

W Cigar Bar recommends that members continue to obtain cigars through the four major regular channels and pay attention to whether Habanos S.A. issues any quota adjustment announcement for the Asia-Pacific market in the second half of 2026.

Conclusion: An Eternal Story About the Priority of Taste

On that night in February 1962, Kennedy made a very human decision: before carrying out national policy, he first protected the private pleasure he cherished.

This detail makes him seem less like a cool political machine and more like an ordinary person - a cigar admirer who just happened to be the most powerful man in the world.

From those 1,200 H. Upmann Petit Upmanns, cigar circles derived an unwritten tradition: whenever a major turning point arrives, when a historic door is about to close, the first thing a true cigar admirer does is make sure his humidor is ready.

Because good cigars wait for no one.

--

Stock sources: four major regular channels for Cuban cigars (PCC authorized dealers, Cuban official state-run stores, Swiss general distributor, Spanish general distributor).

LUBINSKI accessories official website: https://cigarclub.tw/

Venue information: https://share.google/d9NIeFEetij9qWKj0

This site is for adults aged 20 and above only. Smoking is harmful to health. Smoking cessation hotline: 0800-636363.

W Cigar Bar Gentlemen's Cigar House, written and planned by Cigar Prince Wilson Tsai.