033.1100 McCarthy, Joseph R./5–1353
The Ambassador in Cuba (Beaulac) to the Department of
State
confidential
No. 1770
Havana, May 13, 1953.
- Subject:
- Visit of Senator McCarthy to Habana
On May 10 and 11 Senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin made a brief visit
to Habana. He was accompanied by Roy Marcus Cohn, counsel for the Senate
Permanent Investigating Subcommittee; David Schine, consultant on the
information program of the Subcommittee; Richard J. O’Melia of the Senate
Committee on Government Operations, and Mrs. O’Melia. During the course of
the stay of the group in Habana, Mr. Cohn visited the USIS office. In the absence on official
business of the Public Affairs Officer, he was received by Mr. Richard G.
Cushing, Information Officer, who prepared the attached memorandum on Mr.
Cohn’s visit.
There is also transmitted herewith a clipping of the column of Mr. Edward
Scott from the Havana Post of May 12, 1953,
concerning Senator McCarthy’s stay in Habana.1
[Page 1461]
Mr. Ben Meyer, Associated Press bureau chief in Habana, informed the
Embassy’s Information Officer that Senator McCarthy revealed to him
confidentially that he had seen President Batista but declined to say what
was discussed. Meyer also reported that McCarthy had talked with “several
friends of the President.” McCarthy told the Associated Press representative
that his trip was chiefly for pleasure but that he thought it opportune to
look into “a few minor items of business” in Cuba. Senator McCarthy did not
elaborate on this point.
Senator McCarthy and his party left Habana by plane around 3:40 p.m. on May
11. The duration of their stay was approximately 24 hours.
For the Ambassador:
Jacob
Canter
Public Affairs
Officer
[Attachment]
Memorandum by the Information Officer at the Embassy
in Cuba (Cushing) to the Public
Affairs Officer at the Embassy in Cuba (Canter)
confidential
Havana, May 12, 1953.
- Subj:
- Visit to USIS-Habana of Mr. Roy
Marcus Cohn
Mr. Cohn, who served as a special representative of Senator Joseph R.
McCarthy on a recent study of the USIS
in Europe, visited the office of USIS-Habana the afternoon of May 11. Mr. Cohn arrived around
2:45 p.m. in company with a Mr. and Mrs. Richard O’Melia. Mr. O’Melia
has been described as a top investigator for Senator McCarthy’s
Committee on Un-American Activities.
Obviously in a great hurry, Mr. Cohn asked me a few questions (in the
brief absence of the PAO) about the USIS operation, and left after a visit of no more than six
minutes. Mr. O’Melia asked just one question—the amount of our operating
expenses. The party went directly to the airport from the Embassy. They
all, including Senator McCarthy, left Habana around 3:40, having spent
just 24 hours in Cuba.
Mr. Cohn asked me about the following:
- 1.
- The Bi-National Center. He actually came in looking for the
“USIS library” but was told
that there is no library as such connected with the Embassy but
rather one at the Bi-National Center. I explained to him how the
Bi-National Center in Cuba is unique. He expressed no desire to
visit it. He asked, however, what was being done about taking
books by Communist authors off the
[Page 1462]
shelves, and rather than launch into a
detailed explanation of the difficulties involved in dealing
with an institution almost 100 per cent Cuban, I merely told him
“we are working on that now.” That seemed to please him.
- 2.
- Communists in Cuba. I told him that communism appears to be
more or less contained at present under Batista although it
always could come up strong and for that reason I thought a
continuing program an essential. I explained to him that the
Communists have their own newspaper and magazine but seem to
have certain financial difficulties and constitute, by no means,
the vociferous party they do in many Latin American
countries.
- 3.
- USIS Motion Pictures. He
asked what kind of films we send out and how. I gave him a brief
explanation of how films which offer, or teach, something are
most valuable, and that we use not only mobile units but our own
contracted projectionists and also maintain a large loan system
for films.
- 4.
- Press. He asked what use we make of IPS material. I told him
that feature stories, non-competitive with the wire services,
were most effective, along with photographs and by-line columns.
I offered to show him clips of our material, but he seemed
uninterested in pursuing this line further.
- 5.
- The Voice of America. Mr. Cohn asked if the VOA is “any good down here.” I
replied that, frankly, I thought it had a limited number of
listeners, and those perhaps not precisely the ones we like to
reach. Also, that local programming would be much more
effective. He said that seems to be the consensus at all
posts.
Mr. Cohn gazed absently out the window during most of the questioning and
took no notes. He appeared to be little interested in the answers, and
to have a stock supply of routine questions. He consented to a quick
tour through the USIS shop only after
considerable persuasion.
