From the Diary of A. I. Alekseyev, Record of a Conversation with Cuban Minister of Industry, Ernesto Guevara, 26 June 1964

[Stamp]: Declassified

from the diary of

Alekseyev, A. I.

Secret Copy No 2

3 September 1964

No 334

RECORD OF A CONVERSATION

with Minister of Industry of the Republic of Cuba

Ernesto GUEVARA SERNA

26 June 1964

I had a conversation today with E. Guevara during which I asked about the plans for the construction in Cuba of a plant to produce malt with our aid.

E. Guevara said that the idea of building the plant arose in connection with a promise of the GDR to build in Cienfuegos the mill and moorings from which the plant should have operated. However a verbal agreement with GDR

representatives and their promise to extend a credit for the construction of the mill turned out to be impractical. When the talks began the GDR imposed strict conditions on the delivery of equipment against commercial operations without any installment system and at prices higher than world prices. In this connection the question of building a mill was temporarily halted. Right now Cuba has more advantageous proposals from the Netherlands and other capitalist countries for the construction of a mill and the grant of a long-term credit to Cuba.

However, said Guevara, although the talks with the GDR have still not concluded it is obvious that the construction of the mill will be delayed. In this regard, so Guevara thinks, it would be advisable, if there is the opportunity, to delay production in Cuba and our purchase of equipment for the malt plant until the moment the question of the construction of the mill is decided.

E. Guevara noted that if work to design the plant and place orders dragged on for a long time then Cuba is ready to build this plant in order not to put the Soviet Union in a difficult position, although it is clear that the plant will lay idle until the conclusion of the construction of the mill.

USSR Ambassador in Cuba

[signature]

A. Alekseyev

[Handwritten note at the bottom of the page]: “Note. The material is informative; used in the Sector’s work. Chief of a CC CPSU sector. [signature] A. Kalinin. 18.12.64.“ [Note to the left]: “Archive [1 word illegible]. 31.12.64”

[Distribution:]

4-lsh/AA

1-OLAS

2-CC CPSU (to Cde. Andropov)

3-UVI

4-to file

No. 434 [SIC]

2.9.64