Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Cuba, Volume VI

627. Memorandum of a Conversation, White House, Washington, December 29, 1960, 10: 30–10: 38 a.m.¹

Washington, December 29, 1960, 10:30–10:38 a.m.

SUBJECT

• Cuba

PARTICIPANTS

• The President
• Brig. Gen. Andrew J. Goodpaster, White House Staff Secretary
• Livingston T. Merchant, Under Secretary for Political Affairs

Following the National Security Council meeting this morning, the President asked me to come into his office. He said that he wanted to talk to me about Cuba and in this connection stated that he had been much impressed by what Bill Pawley had reported to him two days ago² concerning his visit to Argentina and Peru. He asked if I had seen him, and I told him I had done so yesterday and that we were giving hard thought to his report.

The President said that he agreed with Pawley that there should be no formal meeting of the OAS on Cuba. I interjected to say that to circumvent the OAS entirely needed careful thought and that, as the President knew, we had been working quietly with the more friendly ambassadors with a view to later going into an OAS Foreign Ministers’ meeting in which we could count on majority support even though Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, and possibly some others might oppose us. The President said that he was aware of this but he thought we should be instructing our ambassadors to Peru and Argentina to urge those presidents to themselves rally support for us with other Latin American governments. He said that the Latin American governments which were so minded should through diplomatic channels ask us to take action. He repeated several times that they must take the initiative so that we respond to an appeal from others. I pointed out the great difficulty in many of the Latin American governmental leaders giving any public indication whatsoever of support for us in such an enterprise because of their fears of their own Castroist left-wing movements. The President said he understood that.

The President went on to say that he thought we ought to move quickly. He would be happy if before January 20 we could take such a step as a break in relations with the Castro Government done concurrently with a number of other Latin American governments. He then repeated that our representatives in Peru and Argentina should find out how many other heads of government Frondizi and Prado could persuade to take an initiative and ask us to act. The President said that he knew we were working very hard and actively on this problem but that he thought we should move quickly.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737. 00/12–2960. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Merchant. The time of the meeting is taken from the President’s Appointment Book. (Eisenhower Library)
2. No record has been found of a meeting between the President and Pawley on December 27. Reference apparently is to a meeting on December 28 from 9: 26 to 10 a.m. (Ibid.)