Telegram from Polish Embassy in Washington (Drozniak), 1 June 1962

Ciphergram No. 8175

Dispatched from Washington, D.C., on 06.01.1962 at 18:30 and received on 06.02.1962 at 7:30

Came to the Decoding Department on 06.02.1962 at 7:30

To: [Director General in the Foreign Ministry Przemysław] Ogrodziński,¹ URGENT

From: [Ambassador Edward] DROŻNIAK²

[This is a reply to] your cable no. 6543 [based on the information we received] from [Charles E. “Chip”] Bohlen³

Cuba has been currently removed from the list of priorities of US foreign policy. The development of events in Cuba, [which have been taking place] since the end of March of this year, has been less concerning for them than the previous situation. They have definitely given up the US military intervention and other violent [armed] attacks on Cuba, [because] they would only contribute to Cuba’s prestige. They are counting on the fact that many kinds of difficulties, especially the economic ones, will force Cuba into making further changes in their hitherto policies and will eventually lead to [Fidel] Castro’s fall. In his [Bohlen’s] opinion, [although] no fundamental change has taken place as far as the [US] attitude towards Cuba [is concerned], there has been a change in [US] tactics [towards Cuba] instead. Cuba continues to be potentially a location which can at any time become a main point of interest [for the United States] (this assessment made by Bohlen has been reflected [in the following]: other talks [we have conducted on the issue of Cuba?]; the [American] press’ attitude which has been publishing very little on the subject of Cuba for the past few weeks; and [the US] attempts to move Cuban refugees to different parts of the United States instead of concentrating all of them in Miami.

B.[ohlen] confirms the content of the talks between [Secretary of State Dean] Rusk and [Soviet Ambassador Anatoly] Dobrynin, which we reported in our cable no. 460. The Americans are assessing that the USSR is not currently in any hurry to resolve the issue of Berlin. When it comes to a next meeting [between the Americans and the Soviets], they will wait for a Soviet initiative. B.[ohlen] thinks that the issue of Berlin will continue to constitute the most important element in [US] relations with the USSR and once this issue is taken care of, then they could come to an agreement [with the Soviets] in many other areas.

…

Received by: […]⁴

[1] Przemysław Ogrodziński (1918 – 1980), Polish diplomat, Poland’s head of mission to the International Commission for Control and Supervision in Vietnam, Poland’s ambassador to India and Norway.

[2] Edward Drożniak (1902 – 1966), Poland’s ambassador to the United States (1961-1966).

[3] Charles E. “Chip” Bohlen (1904 – 1974), US career diplomat; he served as the US ambassador to the Soviet Union (1953-1957), to the Philippines (1957 – 1959), and then to France (1962-1968).

[4] Comrade Gomulka, Comrade Cyrankiewicz, Comrade Gierek, Comrade Jedrychowski, Comrade Kliszko, Comrade Loga-Sowinski, Comrade Ochab, Comrade Rapacki, Comrade Spychalski, Comrade Zambrowski, Comrade Zawadzki, Comrade Jarosinski, Comrade Strzelecki, Comrade Czesak, Comrade Winiewicz, Comrade Wierna, Comrade Michalowski, Comrade Birecki, Comrade Milnikiel.