From the Journal of S.M. Kudryavtsev, 'Record of a Conversation with Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba Fidel Castro Ruz, 27 November 1961'

from the journal of

S. M. KUDRYAVTSEV

Secret. Copy Nº 2

20 December 1961

Nº 371

RECORD OF A CONVERSATION

with Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba

Fidel Castro Ruz

27 November 1961

I met with Fidel Castro and in the course of the conversation [I] held with him I told him in detail about the work of the 22^nd CPSU Congress, the decisions adopted, and also about the main provisions of the new CPSU Program. I told Fidel Castro about the situation in which the Congress was held, and also about the warm reception which the Cuban Party delegation was given at this Congress.

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Usually the expectation of the activity of the internal counterrevolution, Fidel Castro said further, has coincided with the training of the forces of the external counterrevolution for an intervention. Therefore the Cuban government views the increase of the activity of the internal counterrevolution which is occurring at the present time in close connection with the plans of the ruling circles of the US to prepare a new intervention against Cuba. The government has closely studied all the facts and reports about the concentration and military training of new detachments of the external counterrevolution at bases in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. However, stressed Fidel Castro, recently we have increasingly been led to the conviction that the US will hardly repeat the April intervention with the forces of the external counterrevolution alone.

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The increased intrigue in the Organization of American States undertaken by the Kennedy government, Fidel Castro noted, gives reason to think that the US, developing plans for a new intervention against Cuba right now, obviously intends to carry it out under the OAS flag. Judging from all the information the Americans’ plans are for one of the Central American countries, for example, Guatemala or Nicaragua, to declare war on Cuba on some pretext. Then the entire mechanism of the OAS will automatically be put in effect and US aggression against Cuba would thus be legalized in some form before world public opinion.

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It stands to reason, continued Fidel Castro, that in the realization of its plans the United States will have to encounter ever-growing resistance from the main countries of Latin America – Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The recent meeting of Stevenson and Frondizi in Trinidad, as one can judge about this from the statement of the Argentine President himself, did not lead to the results desired by the US. Frondizi declared that Argentina, as before, would support the principle of non-interference. Brazil and Ecuador are taking a quite amicable position with regard to Cuba. Ties are strengthening with Chile and Bolivia. Mexico traditionally holds to the principle of non-interference. In view of this, noted Fidel Castro, the US will hardly be able to achieve the agreement of these countries for interference in Cuban affairs under OAS cover. Fidel Castro said, at the present time I have given a special instruction to all governmental institutions of Cuba, and especially public organizations, to take a cautious line with respect to the governments of Latin American countries friendly to Cuba, and not make any statements capable of being a pretext for complicating relations with them. All steps are being taken to develop and strengthen relations with the main countries of Latin America by settling minor contentious questions and those not a matter of principle. The main thing right now is not to permit the diplomatic isolation of Cuba, which the US is so strenuously seeking. In the event that the US manages to push a decision through the OAS on 4 December to convene a consultative conference of ministers of foreign affairs, then, stressed Fidel Castro, we will seek inclusion of the question of American intervention against the Dominican Republic in the agenda of this conference as a counter-maneuver and thereby complicate the US maneuvers against Cuba. Fidel Castro said, the events in the Dominican Republic and the tense situation in other countries of Latin America, especially in Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, and Colombia favor Cuba, and on the other hand complicate the realization of the US’s aggressive plans to smother the Cuban revolution.

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Algeria and Maghreb issues [Translator’s note: this appeared in English]

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Ambassador of the USSR in the Republic of Cuba

(S. Kudryavtsev)