Telegram from the Brazilian Embassy in Havana (Bastian Pinto), 11:30 p.m., Monday

SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS

TELEGRAM 12971

RECEIVED

FROM EMBASSY IN HAVANA

ON/30/30/X/62

SECRET – MOST URGENT

DAC/DOr/DAS/DEA/DNU/600.(24h)

Question of Cuba.

359 – MONDAY – 2330hrs – [For] Your Excellency to learn of and to transmit to the President of the Republic the following message: “We have just received in our Embassy in Havana a visit from Prime Minister Fidel Castro with whom took place a prolonged conference lasting more than one hour. On this opportunity Minister Fidel Castro manifested satisfaction regarding the interest demonstrated by President João Goulart in cooperating for an honorable solution to the present crisis, well translated by the initiative of sending his personal representative to this city. This action was received with visible gratitude, put forward by the prime minister, even before the meeting with other members of the Council, the favorable disposition of the Cuban Government. He affirmed his intent to keep the Brazilian envoy perfectly informed of the conversations of the secretary general of the UN with his government. He considers the evacuation of Guantanamo the basic point of understanding on course, which can lend a sense of demonstration of the sincerity of the decision to confer on Cuba a real guarantee against aggression. He rejected, de plano [on principle?], the unilateral inspection by the UN of the territory of Cuba as offensive to the self-esteem [brio] of his people. He viewed, however, with sympathy [the idea] of the realization of the same method of simultaneously [conducting inspectiions] on the territories where are situated frank threats to the integrity and sovereignty of this country; he explained that he would make a communication from this meeting to the Russian Embassy. I arranged a new conference after an understanding with the UN secretary general. He expressed to me, in particular, that he had all confidence in frank language and the objective of using [it] during the lecture that we held. General Albino Silva.”

LUIZ LEIVAS BASTIAN PINTO