Office of the Historian

GT–39. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, Prepared in the Office of the Secretary of State1

Washington, November 14, 1960

The Secretary telephoned Mr. Gates who was then meeting with the JCS. Mr. Gates said they are ready to reload some Marines on a carrier and to sail the carrier the long way around Cuba to put it in the vicinity of Guatemala. Gates said the Marine amphibius group and the carrier can be in the area by the 17th or 18th and Gates said they were about to send a despatch on this giving the specific orders. Gates said this has all been done, but it can of course be cancelled. The Secretary said the situation has changed somewhat since the Secretary talked to Gates this morning. The Secretary said he had spoken to the President and got his approval to necessary actions so long as they do not get out of the OAS channels. [text not declassified] The Secretary said he had talked with Ambassador Muccio and then read Gates a report of Mr. Mann’s subsequent talk with Muccio.2 The Secretary said we had also sent telegrams to Nicaragua and Costa Rica so we might get requests for help from them as well as Guatemalan.3 The Secretary said on the carrier business, he felt there was no harm so long as it stays out of territorial waters. Mr. Gates said they decided to reload the Marines and tell them to sail in that direction. Gates said they will reload the carrier with propeller A-d’s (?) with a half squadron of fighters and sail to Guantanamo through the West end of Cuba so it will be in the area by the 17th or 18th. The Secretary said we would know more in the morning, but this is a good precaution anyway. Mr. Gates said he would send over a copy of the actual despatch setting forth the specific orders on this operation.4

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers, “Phone Calls & Miscellaneous Memos, November 1960–January 1961.” The telephone conversation took place at 2:50 p.m.↩
  2. For a report of Assistant Secretary Mann’s talk with Ambassador Muccio, see Document GT–37.↩
  3. Guatemala and Nicaragua made such requests. For documentation, see footnote 3 to the memorandum of November 16 from Secretary Herter to the President, p. and the compilation on Nicaragua, Document GT–42.↩
  4. Reference possibly is to the telegram from the Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet, Adm. Jerauld Wright, to the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Arleigh A. Burke, date time group 14904Z November 60. (ARA Special Assistant’s Files, Lot 62 D 24, “Central America”)↩