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

355. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)⁰

Washington, July 13, 1963.

SUBJECT

• NSC Standing Group Meeting Tuesday, July 16, 5 P.M.: Cuba¹

Attached for circulation to members of the Standing Group for the July 16th meeting are the following papers:

1. A proposed statement on Cuba to be made by the President, drafted jointly by ARA and USIA.²

2. A proposed statement on Cuba drafted by ARA as a statement to be made by the President on July 26.³

3. A “Cuban Balance Sheet” prepared by INR and incorporating the suggestions of CIA.⁴

The first draft statement represents the draft ARA and USIA were requested jointly to prepare, and meets the minimum views of both of them. It could be issued at any time; a possible occasion would be the Alliance for Progress Commemorative Ceremony in Washington on August 17, to which the President was been invited.

The second statement, which is addressed specifically to the July 26 date, represents the flavor, content and approach to a statement that would be preferred by ARA.

The INR paper examines group attitudes in Cuba toward Batista and Castro Regimes and seeks to assess performance in certain key sectors during the Batista period as well as against Castro’s promise and performance. It should be read in conjunction with the proposed statements.

U. Alexis Johnson

0. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Standing Group Meeting, 7/16/63. Confidential.
1. See Document 356.
2. See footnote 2, Document 354.
3. The draft statement, undated, is in the Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Standing Group Meeting, 7/16/63. See the Supplement.
4. The 12-page paper was an undated memorandum from Hughes to Johnson. The paper compared the Batista and Castro regimes in terms of their abilities to respond effectively to the needs and aspirations of various parts of the Cuban population. The paper also weighed the promises of the Castro regime before and upon its attainment of power against its performance. The CIA reviewed the paper, and its suggestions were incorporated into the final version. The paper gave Castro some credit for reforms in such areas as health care, housing, education, lowering rents, honest administration, and racial equality, but noted in other areas like civil liberties, economic diversification, new investment, and independence from foreign influences Castro’s record was worse than Batista’s. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Standing Group Meeting, 7/16/63)