Telegram from Polish Foreign Ministry to Polish Embassy, Washington, 29 May 1962

Ciphergram No. 6543

Warsaw, 29 May 1962

URGENT

From: [Director General in the Foreign Ministry Przemysław] Ogrodziński¹

To: [Ambassador Edward] DROŻNIAK² - WASHINGTON [D.C.]

[Foreign Minister Adam] Rapacki is going to make an official visit to Cuba. The communiqué will be announced sometime between 1 and 4 June.

Prior to the communiqué’s announcement, and without informing about the visit, it is important that you (or [Marian] Dobrosielski³) meet and talk with either [President’s Special Representative and Adviser on African, Asian, and Latin American Affairs, and Ambassador at Large Chester] Bowles or someone appropriate in the Department of State, for example, [Counselor and Chair of the Policy Planning Council Walt] Rostow, regarding Cuba. The conversation should be of an unofficial nature (you can ask your interlocutor for lunch) and it should be aimed at getting to know [your interlocutor’s] views on the current attitude and intentions of the US towards Cuba. During the course of the conversation, while showing that the hitherto American policy has made it impossible to [maintain] normal relations between Cuba and the United States, as well as it has been hurting the position of the United States in Latin America, you can outright ask: “what exactly do you want from Cuba?” Of course, you need to understand that we are far from interested in heating up our discussion with the United States over Cuba at the moment.

Received by:

Comrade Rapacki

Comrade Winiewicz

Comrade Michalowski

Comrade Milnikiel

Comrade Krajewski

[1] Przemysław Ogrodziński (1918 – 1980), Polish diplomat, Poland’s head of mission to the International Commission for Control and Supervision in Vietnam, Poland’s ambassador to India and Norway.

[2] Edward Drożniak (1902 – 1966), Poland’s ambassador to the United States (1961-1966).

[3] Marian Dobrosielski, professor of philosophy, a long-time employee of the Polish Foreign Service; he served as the ambassador to England (1969-1972); the head of the Polish delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (1972-1981); and as Poland’s deputy foreign minister (1978-1981).