Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XI, Cuban Missile Crisis and Aftermath

354. Summary Record of the 9th Meeting of the Standing Group of the National Security Council⁰

Washington, July 9, 1963, 5 p.m.

1. Progress report on integrated action program toward Cuba

Desmond FitzGerald reviewed developments and actions of the past three weeks since the approval by the group of the integrated action program for Cuba. He mentioned two events which are scheduled for the 26th of July. He was reading from notes.

Mr. Harriman called attention to the relation of action in Cuba to his mission to Moscow.¹ He said he hoped to be out of Moscow by the 25th or 26th of July. He appeared anxious to avoid giving the Russians an opportunity to raise with him our Cuban policy on the basis of actions which had taken place during the time he was in Moscow.

It was agreed that the next meeting would be a discussion of the State/USIA paper containing a draft statement of what we hoped to see develop in a post-Castro Cuba.²

There was a discussion as to how to handle press inquiries about developments in Cuba such as raids from outside Cuba and sabotage actions within Cuba. It was agreed that we should flatly deny any U.S. Government involvement in any of these activities. [2-1/2 lines of source text not declassified]³

[Here follows a report on U.S. policy toward Spain.]

Bromley Smith

0. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Standing Group Meeting, 7/9/63. Secret; Sensitive.
1. Reference is to Harriman’s trip to Moscow to negotiate the nuclear test ban agreement, signed at Moscow on August 5, 1963.
2. A draft of the statement is in the Supplement attached to a memorandum from USIA Deputy Director Wilson to McGeorge Bundy, May 4. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Standing Group Meeting, 5/7/63) A revised version of the paper, July 12, is ibid., Standing Group Meeting, 7/16/63. See the Supplement.
3. McGeorge Bundy prepared a record of action of this meeting, July 9, which stated that the Group heard an oral report on the integrated action program toward Cuba. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Standing Group Meeting, 7/9/63)