Adoption by the Department of State and the Eisenhower administration of a revised policy toward Cuba, October 1959–January 1960


370. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.13/10–1759. Confidential; Priority.


371. Despatch From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.13/10–2059. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Bonsal.


372. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/10–2159. Confidential; Niact.


373. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/10–2159. Confidential; Priority.


374. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/10–2259. Confidential; Niact.


375. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/10–2359. Confidential. Drafted by Vallon, Owen, and Hill, and initialed by Rubottom. Concurred in by Hanes, who wrote the following comment at the end of the source text: “I concur, with the reservation that we should make no public announcement unless we can take some reasonably effective action to halt or prevent or punish violations.” A copy was also sent to Murphy.


376. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/10–2959. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Hill on October 15 and cleared with Wieland, Dreier, and Gerard Smith. Initialed by Rubottom and Murphy.


377. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.37/10–2359. Confidential; Priority; Limit Distribution.


378. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.37/10–2559. Confidential; Niact; Limit Distribution.


380. Memorandum of Discussion at the 422d Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, October 29, 1959

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Prepared by Boggs.


381. Letter From the Foreign Secretary Lloyd to Secretary of State Herter

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, October 1959. Secret and Personal. Attached to a brief covering note from Hood to Herter, dated October 30, explaining that Lloyd had asked him to give Herter the attached personal message. On the covering note, the following notation was written: “Delivered by messenger to Secy’s office—4:45 p.m. 10/30/59”.


382. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.37/10–3059. Confidential; Priority.


383. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs’ Special Assistant (Hill) to the Assistant Secretary of State (Rubottom)

Source: Department of State, ARA Special Assistant Files: Lot 62 D 24, Cuba 1959. Official Use Only. Drafted by Hill and cleared with Dreier.


385. Circular Airgram From the Department of State to Certain Diplomatic Missions in the American Republics

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/11–459. Confidential. Drafted by Owen; cleared with Wieland, Stewart, Coerr, and Clarence Boonstra (EST); and approved by Vallon who signed for Herter. Sent to Port-au-Prince, Ciudad Trujillo, Mexico City, Guatemala City, San Salvador, Tegucigalpa, Managua, San Jose, Panama, Bogota, Quito, La Paz, Asuncion, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, and Caracas.


386. Letter From Secretary of State Herter to Foreign Secretary Lloyd

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, November 1959. Secret; Personal. No drafting or clearance information is given on the source text.


387. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.37/11–559. Secret. No drafting or clearance information is given on the source text. Also published in Declassified Documents, 1981, 356C. Regarding earlier versions of this memorandum, see Documents 376 and 384.


388. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.37/11–659. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution.


389. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Ambassador in Cuba (Bonsal) and the Cuban Minister of Finance (Lopez Fresquet), Havana, November 8, 1959

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/11–959. Confidential; Eyes Only. Drafted by Bonsal on November 9. Attached to a covering letter of November 9 from Bonsal to Rubottom, in which the Ambassador asked that the memorandum be given very limited distribution. He indicated that he planned to show it to Braddock, Topping, and Noel, and left it up to Rubottom as to who in Washington should see it. A handwritten notation on the covering letter indicates that the memorandum was seen by Rubottom, Hill, Wieland, Stevenson, Turkel, Mallory, and Dreier.


390. Letter From Foreign Secretary Lloyd to Secretary of State Herter

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, November 1959. Secret; Personal. Attached to a brief covering note of November 12 from Hood to Herter, in which Hood said that in the Ambassador’s absence he had been asked to transmit the attached message from Lloyd. The covering note bears no indication of date or time of delivery, but it does contain Herter’s handwritten initials.


391. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/11–1359. Official Use Only; Priority.


393. Despatch From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.37/11–1659. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Bonsal.


394. Letter From Secretary of State Herter to Foreign Secretary Lloyd

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, November 1959, Secret; Personal. Drafted by Vallon and cleared with Rubottom, Merchant, and Ivan B. White (EUR).


396. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Ambassador in Cuba (Bonsal)

Source: Department of State, Rubottom–Mann Files: Lot 62 D 418, Cuba (Sept–Dec.) 1959. Secret; Official–Informal; Personal. Drafted by Devine and cleared with Wieland and Vallon. In a memorandum of November 19 to Rubottom, Stevenson said that he heard from Devine that Rubottom would be writing to Bonsal about the new policy statement on Cuba. Stevenson suggested that Rubottom review the memorandum of the conversation with Bonsal on October 1 (Document 365) and particularly called Rubottom’s attention to the last sentence in the second paragraph and to the comments in the section entitled “Economic Aid”. (Ibid.)


397. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, November 24, 1959

Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199, November 1959. Official Use Only. Drafted by Turkel and approved by Rubottom.


398. Memorandum From the First Secretary of the Embassy in Cuba (Topping) to the Ambassador in Cuba (Bonsal)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 84, Habana Embassy Files: FRC 68 A 1814, Political Affairs. Secret. Topping’s memorandum was in response to the handwritten note Bonsal made on November 24 on the copy of Hall’s memorandum (Document 395) asking Braddock and Topping for their comments. Underneath Bonsal’s request Braddock wrote: “Mr. Ambassador: Interesting. Some things give a little difficulty from Carlos, but with his summation I am essentially in agreement. DB 11/25”.


399. Telegram From the Embassy in Cuba to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.13/11–2659. Confidential; Priority.