Cable from Dutch Embassy, Washington (Van Roijen), 2 November 1962

REFERENCE No. 10502

DATE OF DISPATCH: 2 November 1962

DATE OF RECEIPT: 3 November 1962

TO: Min[ister]. o[f]. F[oreign]. A[ffairs]

FROM: Washington

Information copy sent to: New York

SECRET

During the talk with [the] director [of the State Department’s Bureau of] Inter-American Regional Political Affairs [vide my 935] I inquired as to further actions to be expected from the side of the OAS. [Ward P.] Allen said that although intensive consultations are taking place on the level of the OAS, in the near future probably only a decision to establish a sort of “unified command” can be expected in this regard he noted that the first Argentine warship is expected at Trinidad today or tomorrow where the admiral, charged with the execution of the quarantine, has set up his headquarters.

Concerning the attitude of the various Latinos Allen in the first place mentioned Mexico whose standpoint of course enjoys great recognition. About Brazil he remarked that the impression is that the Brazilian government displays a different attitude towards other countries than it does domestically. Finally he was full of praise for Bolivia which had in the hour of danger declared solidarity with the hemisphere, thereby stepping over its national grievances, and especially for the Bolivian representative who without instructions decided to attend the OAS meeting last week and to vote in favor of the US standpoint, without having the assurance that his action would be completely accepted by the Bolivian government.

It was apparent that Allen possessed very little information concerning the situation in Cuba itself. He was informed by me on the basis of Boissevain 69, for which Allen showed himself most appreciative.

Van Roijen 934 ++