351. Memorandum for the Record0
Washington, June 24,
1963.
SUBJECT
- Meeting with Secretary Rusk—21 June 1963—re Cuba
IN ATTENDANCE
- Secretary Rusk, Gov. Harriman, Secretary Johnson, Mr. FitzGerald, Mr. McCone
- 1.
- Details of the meeting are summarized in Mr. FitzGerald’s memorandum,1 which is complete. However I have the impression that Secretary [Page 845] Rusk is not enthusiastically behind the CIA program. He seems to feel that there is some opportunity of a rapprochement with Castro as referred to in the FitzGerald memorandum. I insisted on the meeting with Rusk because I sensed his reservations and, although he approved the program, it was obvious he did so reluctantly and I think the first evidence of “noise” will call for reconsideration. This is a subject that I have discussed with him on several occasions in the past. Mr. Rusk offers no explanation for his attitude but it has prevailed for a long time.
- 2.
- [5 lines of source text not declassified] I
made it abundantly clear during the meeting, and privately to Secretary
Rusk afterwards, that I felt a
rapprochement out of the question in view of the relationship between
Castro and Khrushchev resulting from Castro’s
trip. Therefore I felt nothing could be done until some event occurred
which would impair this relationship. I emphasized both in the meeting
and afterwards that it was a very dangerous subject to approach from a
political point of view; I did not think the American people would
accept the concept of a rapprochement unless:
- a.
- Castro disavowed any ideas of exporting his revolution;
- b.
- That he broke his Moscow tie and expelled the Soviets from Cuba together with such equipment as they chose to take with them; and
- c.
- He open up his country for free access and travel by Americans so that we could have continuing on-site inspection and hence knowledge of what is going on.
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI/McCone Files, Job 80-B01285A. Secret. Prepared by McCone.↩
- Document 350.↩