Office of the Historian

628. Memorandum From the Deputy Director of the Office of Caribbean and Mexican Affairs (Stevenson) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Coerr)1

Washington, December 30, 1960.

SUBJECT

  • The Question of Continuing Diplomatic Relations with Cuba

In response to your question at the staff meeting today, I am attaching Habana’s Despatch No. 13982 in which Harvey Wellman examines the advantages and disadvantages of breaking diplomatic relations with Cuba. When Mr. Braddock was here we in CMA discussed this question with him and found ourselves in general agreement except with regard to the question of United States initiative in making such a break. It continues to be our view in CMA that it would be much preferred if some of the other Latin American countries might be the first to break relations with United States action to follow very shortly thereafter. We in CMA also feel that should this step be taken we should be prepared to move ahead with such other pressures as are available to us, namely, the invocation of the Trading with the Enemy Act so as to shut off all remaining exports from Cuba to the United States (mainly tobacco and molasses) and perhaps also an extension of the export licensing controls to foodstuffs and medicines.

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Ed Vallon has raised the question as to whether such a course might not foreclose any chance of success resulting from our course of action. However, I believe that I can safely say that he is of the opinion that the time has come to move ahead along the lines recommended by the Embassy, hoping but not necessarily counting on parallel action by all of the other OAS countries.

It is my understanding that Jack McKnight has sent a memorandum3 to Mr. Mann suggesting that a break in diplomatic relations at this time would facilitate the anti-Castro propaganda effort. On this point, I would call to your attention a minor discrepancy between Harvey Wellman’s comments as to the effectiveness of the USIS effort in Cuba and Despatch No. 42, also attached,3 written by Paul Bethel, the Acting Information Officer.

In summation, CMA is of the opinion that we should move ahead along the lines recommended by Embassy Habana looking toward an early break in relations with Cuba at a time of our choosing.4

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737. 00/12–3060. Secret. Drafted by Stevenson. Written in the margin of the source text in an unidentified hand is the word “Bravo!”↩
  2. Document 623.↩
  3. Not found.↩
  4. Not found.↩
  5. The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba on January 3, 1961.↩