Date

Jun 29, 1964

Description

UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, via Lisa Howard, passes messages from Fidel Castro to President Johnson, establishing a direct back-channel line of communication between the Oval Office and Castro's office. "Castro told her to tell me that there will be no crisis until after the November elections; that nothing will happen to our planes, and that we do not need to send him any warnings. He will use utmost restraint and we can relax." Stevenson also tells Johnson that Castro believes that "all our crises could be avoided if there was some way to communicate" and suggests continuing to use Lisa Howard as a go-between to get messages to Stevenson who would pass them on to the president.

Document published in following posting(s):

Cuba and The U.S.: ‘Intimate Diplomacy’

Apr 20, 2018

U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Memorandum from Adlai E. Stevenson for President Johnson, [Report on Lisa Howard's Transmission of Messages from Castro to the White House], Secret and Personal, June 26, 1964 [with cover note for Johnson from McGeorge Bundy, June 29, 1964].