Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, American Republics; Cuba 1961–1962; Cuban Missile Crisis and Aftermath, Volumes X/XI/XII, Microfiche Supplement

617. Aide-Mémoire from the Soviet Government to the U.S. Government February 18¹

February 18, 1963

AIDE MEMOIRE
(Informal Translation)

In the course of the exchange of messages between the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, N.S. Khrushchev, and the President of the U.S.A., J. F. Kennedy, concerning the settlements of the crisis in the region of the Caribbean Sea the parties reached agreement and undertook fixed obligations which permitted liquidation of that dangerous crisis and created conditions for the further normalization of the situation in that area of the world. The Soviet Union has fulfilled its obligations honestly. The Soviet Government will in the future uphold the agreement which was reached proceeding naturally on the assumption that the Government of the U.S.A. will likewise strictly and unswervingly fulfill the obligations which it took upon itself.

In the Soviet Union attention has been turned to the fact that recently American representatives including Secretary of State D. Rusk, U.S. Ambassador in the USSR F. Kohler and others in conversations with the Soviet Ambassador in Washington expressed the desire that some of the Soviet military personnel found there be withdrawn from Cuba. It was further given to understand that this question is disturbing the President creating for him certain difficulties and is exerting an undesirable influence on the further development of Soviet-American relations and on the possibility of settling other international questions. The President himself at his press conference of February 7, 1963 this year expressed the concern of the Government of the U.S.A. in connection with “the continuing presence of Soviet military personnel” on Cuba, noting however that there had been a significant reduction of the numbers of this personnel.

As is known the Soviet military personnel servicing the rocket installations left Cuba together with the weapons.

It is also known that the Soviet Government informed the Government of the U.S.A. of the intention of the Soviet Union to withdraw from Cuba in due course those groups of Soviet military personnel devoted to the protection of the types of weapons withdrawn from Cuba.

Now the Soviet Government wishes to inform the Government of the U.S.A. and the President personally that it has taken a decision to withdraw from Cuba Soviet military personnel connected with the protection of the types of weapons withdrawn from Cuba and likewise some of the military specialists involved in the training of Cuban troops. It is intended to recall from Cuba in the nearest future—before the middle of March—several thousand men.

The Soviet Government considers that this decision will lead to a normalization of the situation around Cuba.

The Soviet Government sincerely hopes that this act of good will on its part will be properly evaluated by the Government of the U.S.A. and the President personally as a demonstration of the readiness of the Soviet Union to seek a further reduction of international tension and an improvement of relations between the USSR and the U.S.A. and will be correspondingly taken into consideration in the foreign political actions of the U.S. of America.

1. Notification of Soviet withdrawal from Cuba of several thousand Soviet personnel before the middle of March. No classification marking. 2 pp. Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, Cuba, General, 1/63–3/63.