79. Editorial Note
On April 3, 1961, the Department of State released a 36-page pamphlet entitled “Cuba.” This “White Paper” was initially drafted in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs but was extensively revised in the White House by Arthur Schlesinger, with the assistance of Richard Goodwin. President Kennedy carefully reviewed the final draft. The White Paper charged that Premier Castro had instituted a “repressive dictatorship” in Cuba, had delivered his country “to the Sino-Soviet bloc,” and was mounting an attack on the entire inter-American system. The United States called upon Cuba, in the White Paper, “to sever its links with the international Communist movement” and “to restore the dignity” of the original Cuban revolution. “If this call is unheeded, we are confident that the Cuban people, with their passion for liberty, will continue to strive for a free Cuba.” (Department of State Publication 7171, Inter-American Series 66, April 1961) There is extensive material relating to the preparation of this paper in the Kennedy Library, Papers of Arthur Schlesinger, Cuba (White Paper).
President Kennedy was asked to comment on the White Paper on Cuba during a press conference on April 12. He was asked whether the White Paper meant that he considered Fidel Castro a Communist. Kennedy replied: “I would not want to characterize Mr. Castro except to say [Page 185] that by his own words he has indicated his hostility to democratic rule in this hemisphere, to democratic liberal leaders in many of the countries of the hemisphere who are attempting to improve the life of their people, and has associated himself most intimately with the Sino-Soviet bloc, and has indicated his desire to spread the influence of that bloc throughout this hemisphere.” (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961, page 259)