Cable from Dutch Foreign Minister Joseph Luns, The Hague, to Dutch Embassy, London, 26 October 1962

REFERENCE No. 7355

DATE OF DISPATCH: 26 October 1962

FROM: Min[ister]. o[f]. F[oreign].A[ffairs]

ORIGINAL INITIALED BY: tb [not further identified]

TO: London

SECRET

On the 23rd of this month the British temporary envoy handed the interim minister of foreign affairs a personal letter from [UK Foreign Secretary] Lord [Alec Douglas-]Home to me, the text of which, with salutations left out, follows below “you will have heard what the president said to the public about Cuba, and received a report of what passed in the North Atlantic Council. I would be most grateful if you would let me know your thoughts. We shall, of course, do what we can to give support to the United States in the [UN] Security Council. At the same time, there may be repercussions not only in the Caribbean, but also in Europe and elsewhere. We must surely keep in the closest touch when we see the Soviet government’s reaction.”

After returning from vacation I took note of this letter today the 26th of this month upon which I sent the following reply to Lord Home via the British embassy here.

“Thank you very much for your message of October 23rd. I agree with you that the government of the United States must be supported in its policy to prevent the Soviet Union from turning Cuba into an offensive military base. We intend to show understanding with regard to measures taken for this purpose. At the same time I agree with you that developments must be watched closely on account of repercussions which they might have elsewhere and of possible consequences for the North Atlantic alliance. I welcome your suggestion that we keep in the closest touch.”

Luns 134.