the dispute between those two countries over British Honduras (or Belize). The United States Government has appointed as its mediator Mr. Bethuel Matthew Webster, of New York City, a prominent lawyer familiar with government matters. The President has accorded Mr. Webster the personal rank of ambassador for the purpose of this mediation. Representatives of the British and Guatemalan Governments are meeting informally in Washington with Mr. Webster and officials of the Department of State, to make procedural arrangements for the mediation of this longstanding problem.

CUBA

Document X-11

Reply Made by the Secretary of State (Rusk) to a Question Asked on an NBC Television Program, January 3, 1965 3

"We Have Seen in Recent Months a Very Sharp Reduction in Castro Activity in the Hemisphere"

I think in the last 2 or 3 years it has become very clear that Castroism as a threat to the Western Hemisphere has been very, very severely reduced. One could illustrate that in a great many ways: The Organization of American States has effectively isolated Castro in the hemisphere, politically and economically, with a high degree of solidarity among the members of the hemisphere. There are not the Cuban embassies around the hemisphere that themselves were centers for agents and subversion and intimidation, as was the case, say, 2 or 3 years ago.

I think we also have seen in the events in Venezuela and Brazil, in Chile, of the past 12 to 14 months, a striking demonstration that the people of the hemisphere are not prepared to go down the slippery

3 Ibid., Jan. 18, 1965, pp. 68–69.

slope with the sort of thing that Castro has in mind.

We have seen in recent months a very sharp reduction in Castro activity in the hemisphere, partly because countries have reacted and are taking steps to prevent it. They are making it more difficult for his type of propaganda and action to have any success.

But then it is also true that the Alliance for Progress is now beginning to take hold, as a practical matter. That is, we had a year or two of planning, preparation. Now, funds in very large amounts are beginning actually to be spent, and you are beginning to see some tangible movement forward in the Alliance for Progress. I remember, in 1961 President Kennedy, on the outskirts of Bogotá, dedicated the first unit of a housing project in an open field. Today, I think there are 11,000 units at that project, and housing something like 60 to 70 thousand people. Dozens upon dozens of fresh-water installations are now available in cities where they were not before. Schools by the tens of thousands have been built, and these things now are beginning to make a deep imprint. And the hemisphere can now see that there is a way to bring about the necessary economic and social changes in the hemisphere without resorting either to repression from the extreme right or to dictatorship from the extreme left.

Document X-12

Report of the Fourth Regular Meeting of the Special Consultative Committee on Security of the OAS, May 7, 1965 (Excerpts) 5

"As Long as the Present Communist Regime Remains in Power in Cuba, the Immediate Threat of Communism Will Continue in the Americas"

Text ibid., Jan. 15, 1962, pp. 91-92; see also American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1961, pp. 433-436.

OAS doc. OAS/Ser.L/X/II.8. The Committee met Apr. 12-May 7, 1965.

III. COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE

AMERICAS

B. Conference of Latin American Communist Parties, Havana, 1964

1. In the latter part of November 1964, the Latin American communist parties held a conference in Havana. Apparently, representatives of all the parties participated.

2. After considering some of the possible reasons for the Havana conference, it is important to note the press release published in the Moscow and Cuban press at the conclusion of the meeting (See Appendix)."

An analysis of the aforementioned document, together with the foregoing considerations regarding the reasons for the Conference, leads one to conclude that the objectives of the meeting included the following:

a. Reaffirmation of Moscow's authority over the Latin American communist parties that were represented at the conference.

b. Establishment of improved coordination and mutual support among the Latin American communist parties.

c. Fresh impetus to communist activities in the hemisphere, particularly revolutionary activities. In this regard, the press release put special emphasis on events in Venezuela, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Haiti.

d. An appeal for unity in the world communist movement. In this regard, the press release sharply criticizes "saparatist movements", regardless of nature or origin, and calls for international conferences as a means to reaffirm the unity of communism. The resolution adopted at the conference stated that such unity should be based on MarxistLeninist principles and the declarations of 1957 and 1960 on the communist program. This proves that

• Not printed here. Text also in The Current Digest of the Soviet Press, vol. XVII, No. 3, Feb. 10, 1965, pp. 15-16.

1. International communism, directed from Moscow, particularly through Cuba, has given increased backing to communist activities in the hemisphere.

2. It is urgent that all the governments of the American republics devote proper attention to the problem and resolve to tackle it openly, putting into effect the individual measures that have been recommended on various occasions by the Organization of American States, and adopting, in the inter-American sphere, the measures for coordination that are required for effective action against international communism.

3. An adequate ideological offensive should be carried out in this hemisphere, for the purpose of convincing the peoples of the Americas of the advantages of representative democracy, and of the fact that the only final answer to the permanent threat of communism lies in the development of a true democratic conscience, the establishment of basic educational levels and the solution of urgent economic problems by stable democratic governments.

4. As long as the present communist regime remains in power in Cuba, the immediate threat of communism will continue in the Americas.

Document X-13

Statement Made by the Alternate U.S. Representative (Allen) Before the Council of the OAS, October 6, 1965 (Excerpt)'

United States Willingness To Receive Cuban Refugees

re

For more than 5 years we have all witnessed a steady outpouring of Cubans from their island home in search of freedom from an increasingly oppressive totalitarian gime. About 350,000 persons are estimated to have left Cuba for other lands. About 270,000 of these are in the United States. In recent months these refugees have been arriving in this country alone at the rate of about 1,000 persons per month, including hundreds who have bravely chosen a dangerous escape by sea in small craft of all sizes and descriptions.

In most, if not all, of the other countries here represented, the thousands of Cuban exiles have found refuge. We are all aware of the human suffering, the broken homes, the bewildered children which are the bitter fruits of this massive movement. Never before has this hemisphere been faced with a similar situation of such tragic magnitude.

On September 28 Premier Castro announced in a speech in Havana that Cubans with relatives in the United States who wished to leave

7 Department of State Bulletin, Oct. 25. 1965, pp. 663-664.

Cuba would be permitted to do so. He made reference to the small fishing port of Camarioca as a possible gathering place and point of departure. He mentioned October 10th as a date when such departures might be permitted.

On September 30 the Department of State referred to Premier Castro's apparent offer, which to us seemed vague and ambiguous in various respects, and suggested that if he was indeed serious the United States was prepared to receive and carefully consider any proposal presented through diplomatic channels." Later this same day Premier Castro issued a formal statement in which he declared his offer to be serious and suggested that this Government communicate through the representatives of its interests in Cuba for whatever information it desired.1o

On October 3 President Johnson in his address at the Statue of Liberty declared that those Cubans who seek refuge here will find it." In the interest of a just, humane, and orderly movement of such persons he indicated that our first concern will be with those Cubans who have been separated from children, parents, and husbands and wives now in this country. "Our next concern," he said, "is with those who are imprisoned for political reasons."

President Johnson also stated our intention of seeking the agreement of the Cuban government in a request to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its assistance in processing the movement of refugees from Cuba to Miami. This interest was formally made known to the government of Cuba by the Swiss Embassy in a note delivered on October 4.12

Prior to the presentation of this note, Premier Castro, in his speech given the night of October 3, appeared to reject the idea of such a request to the ICRC." It is our belief that this may have been due to a misunderstanding on his part of the role which is envisaged for the ICRC in a movement of persons of

Not printed here.

Text ibid, p. 663, footnote 2. 10 Not printed here. 11 Post, doc. XIV-11.

12 Not printed here.

this kind. With its world renowned reputation for impartiality and dedication to humanitarian values, its broad experience in similar situations, and its staff of trained officers, the ICRC, we believe, could render great service to both countries in this complex and pressing matter. We continue to hope that the Cuban government will reconsider its apparently negative attitude.13

It is not possible at this time to estimate with any degree of accuracy the dimensions of this problem in terms of numbers of persons. We know that it concerns many thousands. In the United States alone there are large numbers of unaccompanied children, thousands of separated spouses, and otherwise divided families. It is our hope that the government of Cuba may permit persons in these categories to be the first to depart, and that this can be done in an orderly fashion which will enable them to travel in safety and permit them to be received and cared for in a suitable manner. Actions which we might take in this field involving transportation will, of course, be in full accord with the Final Act of the Ninth Meeting of Consultation of Foreign Ministers, in which it is resolved that all maritime transportation between the American states and Cuba shall be severed except for transportation necessary for humanitarian reasons.14

In conclusion, I should like, first, to extend on behalf of my Government to all other member countries represented in this Council a warm invitation to participate with us in this humanitarian task. For the fate of all the Cuban people is our common concern, the sheltering of those in exile a common privilege. Secondly, I wish to state that my Government would be pleased to receive from the member governments the names of Cubans in their countries who are separated from immediate family members living in Cuba, in the event it should prove possible for these families to be reunited in your countries.

13 The ICRC's assistance was not made a part of the agreement as finally concluded (see infra).

11 Text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1964, pp. 328-334.

equally authentic, of the memorandum of understanding agreed upon in those conversations:

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN HAVANA, REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA AND THE FOREIGN MINISTRY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA CONCERNING THE MOVEMENT TO THE UNITED STATES OF CUBANS WISHING TO LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES

1. The Government of Cuba agrees to permit the departure from Cuba of, and the Government of the United States agrees to permit the entry into the United States of, Cubans who wish to leave Cuba for the United States, in accordance with the provisions of this memorandum of understanding.

2. In recognition of the prime importance of the humanitarian task of reuniting divided families, the two Governments agree that persons living in Cuba who are immediate relatives of persons now living in the United States will be given, as a group, first priority in processing and movement. The two Governments agree that the term "immediate relatives" is defined to mean parents of unmarried children under the age of 21, spouses, unmarried children under the age of 21 and brothers and sisters under the age of 21.

3. The two Governments agree that they will include as members of this first priority group other close relatives living in Cuba of persons now in the United States who reside in the same household as the immediate relatives when such inclusion is required by humanitarian considerations. In order to protect the integrity of the agreed principle of first priority for immediate relatives, the two Governments agree that it will be necessary to verify the relationship and the actual existence of the humanitarian considerations referred to. The two Governments agree that this task of verification will be carried out by the Embassy of Switzerland in Havana and that the judgment of that Embassy will be accepted by the two Governments as final.

4. The Government of Cuba agrees to present to the Embassy of Switzerland in Havana as soon as possible a list (hereinafter called "Cuban Master List A") of immediate relatives living in Cuba of persons now living in the United States, and of other persons living in Cuba described in paragraph 3 above, who wish to live in the United States. The Embassy of Switzerland in Havana will transmit Cuban Master List A to the Government of the United States. The Government of the United States for its part, will have prepared a list (hereinafter called "US Master List A") based on information supplied by persons now living in the United States who have immediate relatives living in Cuba and who are prepared to receive and are interested in receiving such relatives. It is understood that the lists provided for in this paragraph may be prepared in installments and shall be supplemented from time to time.

5. Those names which appear on both Cuban Master List A and US Master List A will be incorporated by the Government of the United States in a single list (hereinafter called "Joint Consolidated List A"), which will be transmitted by the Embassy of Switzerland in Havana to the Govern