Skip to content

December 1, 1987

Fidel Castro to Gorbachev

This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation

[...]

 

We do not bear any responsibility for the military situation that has been created there.  The responsibility belongs entirely to the Soviet advisers who insisted on urging the Angolans to launch an offensive in the southeast[...] We have always been against foolhardy operations like this which cannot solve the problem, which waste resources, and which divert attention from operations against the UNITA guerrillas in those regions of the country that are truly strategic in military, economic, social, and political terms. [...]

The meeting of the Chief of the General Staff of our armed forces [Ulises] with the Minister of Defense of the USSR was very bitter. Minister Yazov made accusations against our troops that, in our opinion, were unjust, hurtful and humiliating.

The Soviet note criticizes our decision to send reinforcements because -- I quote -- “it is more than the military situation in Angola requires.” [...] The military situation has continued to worsen.  The facts prove that our decision to send reinforcements without delay was absolutely correct.  We cannot exclude the possibility of armed clashes with the South Africans. Anyone can understand how dangerous it is to be weak in such circumstances.  [...]

The Soviet note proposes that we claim we are conducting a normal troop rotation. That would be a mistake. There is no reason to invent an excuse or resort to lies. It would undermine morale and weaken the correctness of our stance.  If, during your talks, the Americans ask about these reinforcements, they should simply be told the truth:  the flagrant and shameless intervention by South Africa [in Angola] has created a dangerous military situation that has obliged Cuba to reinforce its troops in an absolutely defensive and legitimate action. The Americans can be assured that Cuba sincerely wishes to cooperate in the search for a political solution to the problems of southern Africa.  At the same time, they must be warned that South Africa’s actions have gone too far and the result may be serious conflict with the Cuban troops. [...]

Finally, I want to assure Comrade Gorbachev that Cuba will do everything in its power to help Angola overcome this difficult situation.

 

Fraternally, Fidel Castro

[Signature]

Mikhail Gorbachev was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Author(s):



Document Information

Source

Archive of the Cuban Armed Forces. Obtained and contributed to CWIHP by Piero Gleijeses and included in CWIHP e-Dossier No. 44.

Rights

The History and Public Policy Program welcomes reuse of Digital Archive materials for research and educational purposes. Some documents may be subject to copyright, which is retained by the rights holders in accordance with US and international copyright laws. When possible, rights holders have been contacted for permission to reproduce their materials.

To enquire about this document's rights status or request permission for commercial use, please contact the History and Public Policy Program at [email protected].

Original Uploaded Date

2013-10-03

Type

Letter

Language

Record ID

118111

Donors

Leon Levy Foundation