- OFFICE OF fl-II Vice April 25 1959 Dear Milky I thaught you might like to see a capy of the ccmfideildal memorandum of my with Castro kindest personal regards f' Rough draft of summa ry of conversation between the Vice President and Fidel Castro 1 - I When Castro nirwd or the conference he seemed somewhat nervoue and tense npparently felt that he had not done as well on Meet the Press no lie had hoped He was particularly concerned about whether he might have irritated Senator Smathere_ or the com- ments he made with regard to him I reassured him at the beginning of the conversation that Meet the Pren was one or the meet difficult programs public of lcinlkgould go on and that he had done extremely well m- particularly hhving in mind the not that he had the courage to go on in English than to speak through a translator The mbjecte we alienated were no different from the on which he had made public sthtements on several other occasions A brief summary however night he of interest particularly in View of the comments I made wi regud to the petition he took I suggested at outset that while I understood that some renewable time might elapse be to it would be feasible to have elections it would nevertheless be much better from his viewpoint if he were not to etate co categorically that it ld he as long 18 our yearn before election would be held I urged him state his position as being in favor of having election at the earlidet possible date and that four years would be the mudmurn amount of t that wauld ehpee before election were scheduled He went into con de ble detail as he had in public with regard to the reasons or not holding electl ennphaaizing particularly that the people did not want elections be use the elections in the past had produced bad government - He used the argument that he was simply re ecting the will of the people in justify-in the execution of war criminals and his overruling the acquittal of Bath '3 aviators In fact he scanned to be obsessed with the idee that it hi responsibility to carry out the will of the people whatever it might to be at a particular time It was also apparent that es in- ne his viz to the United States was concerned that his prunary inure-t was not to change in the auger quota or to get a government loan but to win euppe for his policies from Mexican public opinion It was this almo llevieh subaervience to prevailing majority opinion -- the voice of the mob - rather than his naive attitude toward Communism and bin obvious lack 0 understanding of even the most elementary economic principlee which cone and me most in evaluating what kind of a leader he might mutually turn at to be That is the reason why I spent as much time on I could trying mphuine that he had the great gift of leadership but that it was the rec ibility oi a lender not alweyo to follow public opinion but to help to eet it in the proper channele not to give the people what they they want at a time of emotional stress but to make Wm -3- mm'hat uy main Ipointodm ntitmightbovuy poacihh ntthop Mancuner paude mum-nan Wand mhytomothnh hotmwpu I tune dictatorship wmaumm 01101 hld'faught so gallantry xudtho Mannichoutt autumn-um adhilhparh hmmepw until-grounth 111mm Mmumjuuqubomwthuthuommwm lhu ydoubt Rutmudw ma a-tum cohth bythaconngowd tht hamo 1mm chuzhomythiagta butt-tic me oicouru bouor or himuwcn A3122 Mutatedhemiuro myuiwwnh rogudmmcanm Mcmtopamincim- I'll-lid anemia-am mumbm Llama-attack m bothh m yud romuintm ml undy umhunuddumvm - -- twin- 1 Wlu hhau u ura hd hhm couldnotpro dothcl Mia-61 1mm manta-h1thd yawn-mm Icy-aw with our ten-sonic prop-bu Mt dovuandm_ amnion magnum-rm mm Late mam meWWn wpalmu tch Katalin Wmtocm Hoadd uaybody inthencntaworumbrahm The mun-um mama-aw lad-Wm lwuhmtaulmmnutu ammo-I'M Width forecmmiemw men-wan innocuodeme lamulmuhm damn i No 9 -4- 1 triod accruny' sugccit to cm an Munoz mm I Miriam-o job in Men in In ng print up and in gmn y ofmupaq cand zuCn-tro might you and on o I his toy ocmmic'adviuru to Pun-to Rico to law a con rm-once with We Mix-in Ha col a very dim view ofthn sug- guam pointing out tint the Cuba-1 pcopl wort wry ng onm'dc and would look with snap on cm my pray-um initiated in win tiny would amide to be a 601' otthc Unit-dam Imimkdhim 1k antenna goodovdthumulmtpub cly Imhelincd torus attitud- iu diam rm pet an advocate a private ontuprln Indian Mtagauy ludi-gcubo town-d so chum of In many 3 I m 1 14 unfom program in cousidumblc ht-i1 justifying it primarilylon the ground that Cubs needed more poop who were am tobuytlu d pradacod withinthc camtryaad ut it would make no lease to I more in factories union the amount of money in the hand of cm hcmud tit-mum unturnpordng cum humor I at course tried to esp the iron some yeti-m1 uporime Wit ml seen-nay finitelme cri dnmbothhi and milk I would b surprised if his smi vlty with raga-d to criticism might Hy lead him to sums 'n nr dnstic stop toward curtailing r of the prom in the stmr 'Eo mo splat an the put of American pm and the Amines people generally mingumtm-l manna than Wot tin mo pawn-En in the wax-kl - Yam 9 01 9 9 - that- 020 Madman- btantd -- afraidof W form it unimalh c co mumnm mammWAm- mw Manual Yeah America M14310 rm Communist Managua Mdauyouthould artaCdmmuaim or my harmAddicmonhtp - MWMM cut of 146 13 Morita tin-tone oiour but War was Cindi tummple whichmhighty W111de that as economic condition my country thin not only good towardme mudhcuup mhipc anaoomphuiadd how-unthumr Awning ng Comunimwu not laugh-- Nauru-mm want to hip than 1 11th om prognu in a climate 0 frudm mm milsmudbutmthulmm muting wmwm cut-1m with regard cosmic Wet Hi My concern seemed man his pond the support of the grant majodty a the Cuban mma dmuamhmm mm Mmmbamocf whichmakc um arudcrofmur Whatever 13W g5 actor in thy xmm o Cub ad vary possibly in Latin Mariam m Bong to be In about Cmmuim or Communist 3491in -- my gun in tho immulbw lantern-ma 63m I luv and cmt uv Bntbacmuh npavutoludw menu referred luvcnochoiccbuzul                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu