469. Circular telegram 807, October 311
In his conversations with Castro yesterday and today U Thant was unable to persude Castro to permit any form of verification by the UN or under its auspices of the removal of offensive military weapons by the USSR from Cuba. This is despite the fact that the USSR has made clear its willingness to have such verification take place.
You are requested soonest to approach your Foreign Minister to urge his government would wish to indicate to Cuban Government that if this defiance continues it will be impossible to continue diplomatic relations with Cuba or at very least most strongly protest Cuban intransigence. You should point out that practically the whole world has welcomed the arrangement agreed upon in principle between President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev to surmount the threat of nuclear war which the presence of Soviet offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba presented. For Castro to flout the desire to settle this problem and the UN efforts to do so would seem to make it most difficult to maintain normal relations with his regime. Should be presented factually and not as US pressure.
[Facsimile Page 2]FYI Similar messages are being sent to most nonbloc countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Cuba. END FYI
For Bern: Above should be passed Swiss Fonoff for info and any steps Swiss Government feels it can usefully take.
- U Thant discussions with Castro re verification measures. Confidential. 2 pp. DOS, CF, 737.56361/10–3162.↩