Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XI, Cuban Missile Crisis and Aftermath

360. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)⁰

Washington, August 22, 1963.

SUBJECT

• Reply to Cuban Note on Overflights¹

We have for various reasons, including most recently a request of the Swiss Ambassador in Habana who is negotiating on Cuban efforts to take over our Embassy building, delayed replying to the Cuban note of June 24 on overflights. However, in order to keep the record clear, we feel a reply should now be made.

As you know, the Cubans have thus far taken no action to follow up on threats made in that note on overflights. Secretary Rusk feels that our reply should be non-polemical and not of a nature that would encourage the Cubans to feel it necessary to respond in strong verbal terms and possibly match their actions to their words.

The attached draft, upon which I would appreciate your comments, has therefore been drawn along these lines. In referring to the “publicly expressed position” of the USG in the attached note, we particularly have in mind Secretary Rusk’s statements of March 12 and April 13, 1963,² and, when handing the note to the Czechs, we would orally call these statements to the attention of the Czechs.

U. Alexis Johnson

Enclosure

³

DRAFT

The Government of the United States has taken note of the statements contained in the note of the Government of Cuba of June 24, 1963, that Cuban gunners have orders to fire at any foreign war plane that makes low-altitude flights over Cuban territory; and that the Government of Cuba is stepping up its defense preparations in order to be ready to intercept and shoot down any war plane that violates Cuban air space at any altitude.

The Government of the United States wishes again to call the attention of the Government of Cuba to the well-known, publicly expressed position of the Government of the United States on this question. The position of the Government of the United States on this matter has not changed.

0. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Cuba, General, 6/24/63 Protest Note, 6/63-8/63. Secret.
1. For a summary and discussion of the note, see Documents 352 and 353.
2. Attached, but not printed.
3. On August 26 Bundy sent Johnson a memorandum stating that he had shown the President the draft reply to the Cuban note. The President approved it. Bundy suggested when passing the note to the Czechoslovaks, the United States should call to their attention the public statements by the President on the importance of surveillance.