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

385. Memorandum From Gordon Chase of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)⁰

Washington, December 4, 1963.

SUBJECT

• Cuba Meeting (Without President) Next Tuesday, December 10, 1963

1. I spoke to John Crimmins at some length about preparations for the meeting next week regarding new courses of action we can take, short of invasion, to make life difficult for Castro. He plans to produce the following type of document for the meeting.

(a) The paper will include State’s recommendation on how we plan to proceed in the OAS as a result of the Cuban arms cache issue.¹ For example, should we push for a break in diplomatic relations among the “soft 5”, a break in economic relations between Latin America and Cuba, a break in communications between the OAS countries and Cuba?

(b) The paper will then describe a number of possible bilateral and unilateral actions which we can take (e.g. unleashing of the exiles, low level flights, military feints (at a level which will make the Cubans, but not the Soviets, jumpy), intensification of covert program). There will be a brief discussion giving the advantages and disadvantages of each of these courses of action, along with State’s recommendation in favor or against.²

(c) John will get the paper distributed by Saturday³ afternoon so that the agencies will have time to consider State’s recommendations before the Tuesday meeting.⁴

2. John plans to meet with Alexis Johnson and the Secretary this evening. Among other things he hopes to clear the above menu.

3. Bromley feels that we should try to maintain this meeting as a Standing Group meeting (among other things, this will allow us to invite the AG). Attendance at the meeting would be roughly as follows:Ed Martin, somebody from the 7th floor of State, John McCone, Dez FitzGerald or Dick Helms, Roswell Gilpatric, another person from Defense, Don Wilson, and the AG. Do you have any problems with such a list? How about Douglas Dillon, Maxwell Taylor, Ted Sorensen?

GC

0. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Cuba, Meetings, 12/63-3/65. Top Secret.
1. There were actually two papers, one, entitled “OAS Action Against Cuba” and undated, is ibid. Regarding the second paper, see footnote 2 below.
2. The second paper, entitled “Possible Further Unilateral and Bilateral Actions to Increase Pressure on Cuba (Short of Use of Force),” undated, was submitted to the Standing Group on December 12. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Cuba, Meetings, 12/63-3/65) See the Supplement.
3. Saturday, December 7. According to a December 9 memorandum from Chase to Bundy the second paper on unilateral and bilateral action was withdrawn from consideration by the Standing Group by Secretary Rusk for further consideration in State. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Cuba, Meetings, 12/63-3/65)
4. The Standing Group met on Tuesday, December 10, to discuss “OAS ActionAgainst Cuba,” see footnote 1 above. The Group placed emphasis on measures designed to harass Cuba and restrict arms shipments to Latin America. (Memorandum from Califano to Gilpatric, December 18; Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files:FRC 330 77 131, Misc. 63-65) See vol. XII, p. 355.