Telegram from Swiss Foreign Ministry to Swiss Embassy in Havana (Stadelhofer)

 p.b.73.Cuba.o.(U’Ch.) – PO

Original to: [Handwritten:] CD [handwritten letters illegible] Copy also to: [Handwritten letters illegible]

T e l e g r am no. 53

27.10.1962 11h00

Embassy of Switzerland

Havana

Flash: Secret. – For Ambassador Stadelhofer, continuation of our cables 49 and 50. Lindt just cabled:

Quote #1. Have so far not been able to locate Kennedy’s public speech that would correspond with the wording of Rusk’s quotation. Stevenson’s speech before the UN general assembly responding to Dorticos contains the following part: “If Cuban regime is sincere in its request for negotiations and wishes to lay its grievances before appropriate forum – the Organization of American States - I would suggest the Cuban government might start by some action calculated to awaken the confidence of the inter-American system. Obvious place to begin would be the severing of its multiple ties to the Soviet bloc.”

#2. Cuban statements are following the Russian line completely, they even go beyond by denying the existence of nuclear bases. It appears to me that Rusk’s initiative was made based on preconditions that have changed in the meantime. In this superpower confrontation, Cuba has more and more lost its right of self-determination. We should avoid anything that could give the impression that we want to try the impossible and, in terms of the policy of neutrality, dangerous – the separation of Cuba from the Soviet Union. Unquote

In the face of these new developments we recommend you to act with the utmost caution. Most of all, please refrain from soliciting an audience with Castro in case this takes a long time to materialize. Rather wait, until Castro potentially seizes the opportunity himself to start a conversation with you, which would have to be conducted with much restraint. In any case, it were to be refrained from even hinting at an offer of good offices.

Foreign Ministry

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