4. Memorandum of Conversation Between Secretary of State Herter and Dean Rusk0
I discussed with Dean Rusk the following three matters:
1. The Cuban situation resulting from the note1 sent through the Embassy in Havana to the effect that our personnel had to be reduced within 48 hours to a total of eleven, including locals. I explained that our Charge dʼAffaires in Havana had recommended that the best course for us would be to break off diplomatic relations completely since it would be impossible to carry on in anything like a dignified or effective way with such small staff. I further told him that we had checked with Wadsworth2 in New York, who had felt that such a break would not interfere with the debate on the charges brought by Cuba against us to begin tomorrow, and I, likewise, checked with Braddock in Havana, who reiterated his recommendation for a clean break and felt that such a break would not jeopardize the situation with respect to the remaining U.S. citizens in Cuba.
I then told Dean Rusk that I thought a decision would be reached this afternoon with respect to breaking diplomatic relations, and that my expectation was that this would be done. He asked if he could have until 3.00 p.m. to report reactions, and that his own impression was that there would be no reaction unless there was a very violent feeling on the part of the President-elect.3
[Here follows a summary of discussion unrelated to Cuba.]
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers, 1957-61. Secret. Drafted by Herter. Dean Rusk was Secretary of State-designate.↩
- Document 1.↩
- James J. Wadsworth, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations.↩
- Rusk telephoned Herter later the same afternoon to indicate that he had passed along the information concerning the possibility of breaking relations with Cuba, and that Kennedy did not want to comment on the merits “either way.” (Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers, Telephone Conversations)↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩