285. Editorial Note
Secretary Rusk scheduled a series of meetings with Ambassadors from Italy, Canada, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Lebanon, Japan, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, Netherlands, and West Germany to discuss the results of the Meeting of OAS Foreign Ministers on Cuba, with special reference to the question of trade. The Italian Ambassador was the first one seen (Document 284), followed by the Spanish Ambassador (Document 286) and the Canadian Ambassador on September 9, and the others later in the month. Memoranda of conversation for most of these meetings are in the National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 2 CUBA.
In his meetings with the French Ambassador on September 10, Rusk again mentioned the OAS meeting on Cuba and its trade resolutions. The Ambassador responded that French trade with Cuba was insignificant. The Secretary then mentioned reports that a French deal seemed to be in progress with Benoto for earth moving equipment and “that French trade with Cuba was up significantly this year.” (Memorandum of conversation, September 10; ibid., POL 1 CUBA)
In his meeting with the Belgian Ambassador on September 15, Rusk mentioned “the virtual collapse of Cuban credit” as a factor that “might provide a basis” for the trading countries “to reassess the situation.” The Ambassador described his last conversation with the Secretary concerning Cuba on February 19 and recalled that at that time Rusk had expressed concern about the sale of Belgian locomotives to Cuba. The Ambassador stated that “On the basis of this conversation the Belgian Government had intervened to block credit for that sale, because of its desire to work closely with” the United States. (Memorandum of conversation, September 15; ibid., POL 2 CUBA)