432. Memorandum of conversation between Georgi Kornienko and Richard
H. Davis, October 271
[Facsimile Page 1]
SUBJECT
- Delimitation of “Interception Area” Around Cuba
PARTICIPANTS
- Mr. Georgi M. Kornienko, Counselor, Soviet Embassy
- Mr. Richard H. Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European
Affairs
- SOV—David Henry
I handed the attached letter on the above subject to Counselor Georgi
Kornienko today at 3:00 p.m.
[Facsimile Page 2]
[Typeset Page 1249]
Attachment
I have been instructed to convey, for the information of Ambassador
Dobrynin, the text of a
message handed to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr.
U Thant, by Ambassador
Stevenson on October 27.
The text is as follows:
“My Government has instructed me to inform you that the
‘interception area’ referred to in your letter of October 25 to
the President of the United States and in his reply of October
26, comprises (a) the area included within a circle with its
center at Havana and a radius of 500 nautical miles, and (b) the
area included within a circle with its center at Cape Maysi
(Maisi), located at the eastern tip of the Island of Cuba, and a
radius of 500 nautical miles.
“You may wish to pass the above information to Chairman Khrushchev so that he can
proceed in accordance with his October 26 letter to you, in
which he stated that he had ordered the masters of Soviet
vessels bound for Cuba but not yet within the interception area
to stay out of the area.”
The text of this message is also being sent by the American Embassy
in Moscow to the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sincerely yours,
Richard H. Davis
Deputy Assistant Secretary
for European
Affairs
