October 22, 1962
Telegram from Soviet Ambassador to the USA Dobrynin to the USSR MFA
TOP SECRET
Making Copies Prohibited
Copy No. 1
CIPHERED TELEGRAM
TOP PRIORITY
At 6 in the evening Washington time Secretary of State Rusk invited me to his place.
Rusk said that he had a commission from the president to send via me a personal presidential message to N.S. Khrushchev /to be sent separately/, and also to provide for information the text of the president's address to the American people, which he intends to deliver at 7 this evening on radio and television /transmitted by TASS/.
Rusk warned then that at this time he has instructions not to answer any questions on the text of both documents and not to comment on them.
"These documents, he added, speak for themselves."
Rusk was told that the actions of the USA government cannot be justified by the absolutely unconvincing motives which are not grounded in the factual situation and to which the president refers, and that these actions have a downright provocative character, and that all responsibility for possible grave consequences of the aforementioned actions of the United States will be entirely on the American administration.
I also expressed surprise that neither the president nor Rusk found it necessary to have an open talk on all the questions raised in the address, with A.A. Gromyko, with whom they met only a few days ago, while now the USA administration is seeking with artificial means to create a grave crisis. The Soviet Union fears no threats and is prepared to meet them in an appropriate way, if the voice of reason would not triumph in the governing circles of the USA.
Rusk did not respond. He was clearly in a nervous and agitated mood, even though he tried to conceal it. At that the meeting came to an end. Then almost all ambassadors /except socialist/ were summoned to the State Department, and they have been given, by groups, the text of the president's address with corresponding commentaries by the senior officials of the State Department.
Before I left, Rusk noted that there is no plan, so far, to publish the personal letter of Kennedy to N.S. Khrushchev, but overall this cannot be excluded.
22.X.62 A. DOBRYNIN
[Source: AVP RF, copy courtesy of NSA; translation by Vladislav M. Zubok.]
Making Copies Prohibited
Copy No. 1
CIPHERED TELEGRAM
TOP PRIORITY
At 6 in the evening Washington time Secretary of State Rusk invited me to his place.
Rusk said that he had a commission from the president to send via me a personal presidential message to N.S. Khrushchev /to be sent separately/, and also to provide for information the text of the president's address to the American people, which he intends to deliver at 7 this evening on radio and television /transmitted by TASS/.
Rusk warned then that at this time he has instructions not to answer any questions on the text of both documents and not to comment on them.
"These documents, he added, speak for themselves."
Rusk was told that the actions of the USA government cannot be justified by the absolutely unconvincing motives which are not grounded in the factual situation and to which the president refers, and that these actions have a downright provocative character, and that all responsibility for possible grave consequences of the aforementioned actions of the United States will be entirely on the American administration.
I also expressed surprise that neither the president nor Rusk found it necessary to have an open talk on all the questions raised in the address, with A.A. Gromyko, with whom they met only a few days ago, while now the USA administration is seeking with artificial means to create a grave crisis. The Soviet Union fears no threats and is prepared to meet them in an appropriate way, if the voice of reason would not triumph in the governing circles of the USA.
Rusk did not respond. He was clearly in a nervous and agitated mood, even though he tried to conceal it. At that the meeting came to an end. Then almost all ambassadors /except socialist/ were summoned to the State Department, and they have been given, by groups, the text of the president's address with corresponding commentaries by the senior officials of the State Department.
Before I left, Rusk noted that there is no plan, so far, to publish the personal letter of Kennedy to N.S. Khrushchev, but overall this cannot be excluded.
22.X.62 A. DOBRYNIN
[Source: AVP RF, copy courtesy of NSA; translation by Vladislav M. Zubok.]
Dobrynin sends the results of a meeting where Rusk invites him to his home and asks him to deliver a message to Khrushchev and text of JFK’s message to be transmitted over TASS.
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AVP RF, copy courtesy of NSA; translation by Vladislav M. Zubok
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