Israeli Foreign Ministry, Jerusalem, to Israeli Embassy, Havana

 [Israeli Ambassador to Brazil Arie] Eshel sent a telegram from Rio reporting the following:

I had a meeting today with ambassador [Carlos A.] Bernardes [Brazilian] deputy minister of foreign affairs. I started by expressing our appreciation for Brazil’s valiant efforts to mediate in the Cuban crisis and asked him how they saw things. Bernardes said that although the immediate danger of a military confrontation had passed, a formula still needed to be found to tackle Castro’s wounded pride and anger over the deal that the US and the Soviet Union made behind his back. The Brazilians are working on an initiative according to which all Latin American countries would agree to create a nuclear free zone including an effective inspection regime. Such an arrangement would allow Castro to admit inspectors [to Cuba] without losing face.

Bernardes said that their embassy in Havana was unable to lift the veil of secrecy that currently surrounded the discussions between the Soviet and the Cubans. He also said that they planned to pass a resolution at the Security Council declaring Latin America, Africa and the Middle East nuclear free zones but were unable to do so due to French opposition. They now intend to bring this issue before the General Assembly. The Brazilians think that the Americans would be willing to take their bases out of Turkey; a step which would aid in declaring the Middle East a nuclear free zone. I did not respond other than pointing out that we have always been against the introduction of any weapons to the region.