Office of the Historian

351. Memorandum for the Record0

Washington, June 24, 1963.

SUBJECT

  • Meeting with Secretary Rusk—21 June 1963—re Cuba

IN ATTENDANCE

  • Secretary Rusk, Gov. Harriman, Secretary Johnson, Mr. FitzGerald, Mr. McCone
1.
Details of the meeting are summarized in Mr. FitzGerald’s memorandum,1 which is complete. However I have the impression that Secretary [Page 845] Rusk is not enthusiastically behind the CIA program. He seems to feel that there is some opportunity of a rapprochement with Castro as referred to in the FitzGerald memorandum. I insisted on the meeting with Rusk because I sensed his reservations and, although he approved the program, it was obvious he did so reluctantly and I think the first evidence of “noise” will call for reconsideration. This is a subject that I have discussed with him on several occasions in the past. Mr. Rusk offers no explanation for his attitude but it has prevailed for a long time.
2.
[5 lines of source text not declassified] I made it abundantly clear during the meeting, and privately to Secretary Rusk afterwards, that I felt a rapprochement out of the question in view of the relationship between Castro and Khrushchev resulting from Castro’s trip. Therefore I felt nothing could be done until some event occurred which would impair this relationship. I emphasized both in the meeting and afterwards that it was a very dangerous subject to approach from a political point of view; I did not think the American people would accept the concept of a rapprochement unless:
a.
Castro disavowed any ideas of exporting his revolution;
b.
That he broke his Moscow tie and expelled the Soviets from Cuba together with such equipment as they chose to take with them; and
c.
He open up his country for free access and travel by Americans so that we could have continuing on-site inspection and hence knowledge of what is going on.
  1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI/McCone Files, Job 80-B01285A. Secret. Prepared by McCone.↩
  2. Document 350.↩