Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Message Text SECRET PAGE 01 HAVANA 07893 291626Z ACTION NODS-00 INFO OCT-01 ADS-00 001 W ------------------011438 291628Z 43 P 291432Z AUG 79 FM USINT HAVANA TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1809 S E C R E T HAVANA 7893 NODIS E O XGDS-1 8 29 09 SMITH WAYNE S OR-M TAGS PORG PDIP CU SUBJ STATE OF US-CUBAN RELATIONS 1 S - ENTIRE TEXT 2 SUMMARY CASTRO AIDE INDICATES CUBA EXPECTS NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN RELATIONS WITH US FOR FORESEEABLE FUTURE SAYS EVEN SO THAT CUBA INTENDS TO PLAY RESTRAINED ROLE IN NICARAGUA 3 IN EXTENDED CONVERSATION AUG 22 WITH ALFREDO RAMIREZ OTERO OSTENSIBLY MINREX OFFICER BUT IN FACT ONE OF PRESIDENT CASTRO'S PERSONAL AIDES I POINTED TO RADICAL CUBAN DRAFT COMMUNIQUE AND INTEMPERATE LANGUAGE USED BY CUBAN PERMREP IN PRESENTING RESOLUTION ON PUERTO RICO IN UN AS DIFFICULT TO SQUARE WITH CUBAN PROFESSIONS OF DESIRE FOR BETTER RELATIONS WITH US LEAVING ASIDE DISAGREEMENTS OVER SUBSTANCE TONE AND INTENT HARDLY ENHANCED PROSPECTS FOR NORMALIZATION I SAID I HAD IMPRESSION PROPAGANDA ATTACKS AGAINST US WERE INCREASING AFTER NOTICEABLE DECLINE IN 1977 AND PART OF 1978 THIS WAS TO BE REGRETTED 4 RAMIREZ WENT THROUGH STANDARD PRESENTATION TO EFFECT THAT DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW WHICH PLACED US ON OPPOSITE SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 HAVANA 07893 291626Z SIDES OF BARRICADES ON MANY ISSUES ALSO MADE DIALOGUE ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT HAVING COMPLETED PRO FORMA REPLY HOWEVER RAMIREZ WENT ON TO NOTE THAT US-CUBAN RELATIONS WERE OBVIOUSLY GOING NOWHERE FOR TIME BEING ATMOSPHERE WAS NOT PARTICULARLY GOOD AND CUBA HAD SEEN LITTLE DISPOSITION ON US SIDE TO IMPROVE IT DURING PAST YEAR EVEN THOUGH US HAD USED RHETORIC Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 DURING SHABA INVASION OF MAY 1978 WHICH HAD BEEN INSULTING TO PRESIDENT CASTRO LATTER HAD TURNED OTHER CHEEK GONE AHEAD WITH DIALOGUE AND HAD MET ONE OF MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF US BY RELEASING POLITICAL PRISONERS US HAD NEVER RESPONDED CASTRO THEREFORE CONSIDERED BALL TO BE IN US COURT AND AFTER CAREFUL ANALYSIS HAD CONCLUDED THAT US UNWILLING TO MOVE AHEAD WITHOUT DEMEANING AND UNREALISTIC CONCESSIONS ON CUBA'S PART SUCH AS WITHDRAWAL OF ITS TROOPS EVEN IF AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS WHICH HAD INVITED THEM WANTED THEM TO REMAIN RAMIEZ SAID IT WAS NO WONDER THEN THAT ATMOSPHERE HAD TO SOME EXTEND SOURED AND NOW US SEEMED TO BE LAUNCHING CUBAN WITCH HUNT IN CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA EVEN THOUGH IT SHOULD BE OBVIOUS THAT CUBA WAS PLAYING A RESTRAINED ROLE IN NICARAGUA CUBANS WERE NOT CERTAIN WHETHER THIS INDICATED US RELUCTANCE ON DOMESTIC POLITICAL GROUNDS TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH CUBA -- AND THUS THE NEED FOR A PRETEXT -OJWHETHER US LEADERS WERE PRISONERS AS THEY SO OFTEN HAD BEEN OF THEIR OWN FAULTY INTELLIGENCE 5 RAMIREZ HASTENED TO ADD THAT HE DID NOT WISH TO SUGGEST ALL PROBLEMS WOULD HAVE BEEN SOLVED IF US HAD BUT MET CUBA HALF WAY MANY BASIC PROBLEMS WOULD HAVE REMAINED IN MANY AREAS THE TWO HAD CONFLICTING INTERESTS AND OBJECTIVES AND AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF HOSTILITY AND SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 HAVANA 07893 291626Z SUSPICION CONFIDENCE AND UNDERSTANDING WOULD COME HARD US FOR EXAMPLE SAW NEW MIGS AS THREATENING CUBA SAW THEM AS NORMAL AND NECESSARY UPGRADING OF ITS DEFENSE AGAINST CONINUED US THREATS AND AGGRESSIONS 6 I SAID I FELT US HQF REACTED TO INTRODUCTION OF MIG-23S IN MEASURED RESPONSIBLE WAY WE HAD MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE WOULD NOT TOLERATE ANY VIOLATIONS OF OUR 1962 UNDERSTANDING WITH SOVIETS AND AT A GIVEN POINT THERE HAD BEEN A GOOD DEAL OF UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE CONFIGURATIONS AND PURPOSES OF THE MODELS INTRODUCED THE US HAD TO ASSURE ITS SECURITY IT HAD TAKEN THE STEPS IT FELT NECESSARY AND WOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION CLOSELY NOR WERE WE LAUNCHING A WITCH HUNT IN NICARAGUA WE HAD BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ENCOURAGING SOMOZA TO LEAVE AND WERE IN FOREFRONT OF INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO HELP NEW GOVT RECONSTRUCT COUNTRY WE HAD NO OBJECTIONS AT ALL TO CUBAN ASSISTANCE OF HUMANITARIAN NATURE -TEACHERS DOCTORS ETC THERE WERE HOWEVER DISTURBING REPORTS OF A GROWING NUMBER OF CUBAN MILITARY ADVISORS Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 AND A FLOW OF ARMS ABOARD THE ALMOST DAILY FLIGHTS BETWEEN CUBA AND NICARAGUA WE WERE CONCERNED AS TO CUBAN INTENTIONS AND HAD MADE THOSE CONCERNS KNOWN TO THEM THROUGH PROPER DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS THE CUBANS KEPT TELLING US THEY WERE PLAYING A RESTRAINED LOW-KEY ROLE IN NICARAGUA BUT SOME OF OUR REPORTS SUGGESTED OTHERWISE 7 RAMIREZ SAID SUCH REPORTS WERE INACCURATE IF THE US HAD ANY EVIDENCE OF AN IMPROPER CUBAN ROLE IN NICARAGUA IT SHOULD PRESENT IT TO THE CUBAN AUTHORITIES WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL OF THIRD-HAND REPORTS HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT OUR CONVERSATION HAD POINTED UP THE DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS AND PERSPECTIVES FROM WHICH WE SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 HAVANA 07893 291626Z APPROACHED VARIOUS ISSUES IT WAS SO THAT EACH BETTER UNDERSTOOD THE OTHER'S VIEWS AND POSITIONS THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE A DIALOGUE IN THAT CONTEXT HE WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO FUTURE CONVERSATIONS 8 COMMENT THERE WAS NOTHING VERY NEW IN WHAT RAMIREZ SA J BUT IT DID TEND TO CONFIRM INDICATIONS FROM OTHER SOURCES THAT THE CUBANS HAVE WRITTEN OFF ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN RELATIONS WITH THE US FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE IF SO SUGGESTIONS ON OUR PART THAT OBJECTIONABLE ACTIONS OR RHETORIC ON THEIRS WILL IMPEDE NORMALIZATION ARE LIKELY TO HAVE LITTLE IMPACT SMITH SECRET NNN Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Message Attributes Automatic Decaptioning X Capture Date 01 jan 1994 Channel Indicators n a Current Classification UNCLASSIFIED Concepts INTERVENTION FOREIGN RELATIONS POLITICAL SITUATION CAT-B Control Number n a Copy SINGLE Draft Date 29 aug 1979 Decaption Date 01 jan 1960 Decaption Note Disposition Action RELEASED Disposition Approved on Date Disposition Case Number n a Disposition Comment 25 YEAR REVIEW Disposition Date 20 Mar 2014 Disposition Event Disposition History n a Disposition Reason Disposition Remarks Document Number 1979HAVANA07893 Document Source CORE Document Unique ID 00 Drafter n a Enclosure n a Executive Order X1 20090829 SMITH WAYNE S Errors N A Expiration Film Number P850029-2393 Format TEL From HAVANA OR-M Handling Restrictions n a Image Path ISecure 1 Legacy Key link1979 newtext t19790817 aaaaamzm tel Line Count 149 Litigation Code IDs Litigation Codes Litigation History Locator TEXT ON-LINE ON MICROFILM Message ID 66020e64-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc Office ACTION NODS Original Classification SECRET Original Handling Restrictions n a Original Previous Classification n a Original Previous Handling Restrictions NODIS Page Count 3 Previous Channel Indicators n a Previous Classification SECRET Previous Handling Restrictions NODIS Reference n a Retention 0 Review Action RELEASED APPROVED Review Content Flags Review Date 14 feb 2006 Review Event Review Exemptions n a Review Media Identifier Review Release Date n a Review Release Event n a Review Transfer Date Review Withdrawn Fields n a SAS ID 1753761 Secure OPEN Status NATIVE Subject STATE OF US-CUBAN RELATIONS TAGS PORG PDIP CU US NU To STATE Type TE vdkvgwkey odbc SAS SAS dbo SAS_Docs 66020e64-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc Review Markings Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Markings Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014