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May 29, 1962

Telegram from Polish Embassy in Havana (Jeleń), 29 May 1962

This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation

Ciphergram No. 7980

 

Dispatched from Havana on 05.29.1962 at 12:30 and received at 05.29.1962 at 20:24

 

Came to the Decoding Department at 05.29.1962 at 23:00

 

To: [Director General Jerzy] MICHALOWSKI, URGENT, Eyes Only

 

From: [Ambassador Boleslaw] JELEN1

 

Our [cable] 203.

 

Today’s newspapers have published the information about the farewell visit of [Soviet Ambassador to Cuba Sergei Mikhailovich] Kudryavtsev with [President of Cuba Osvaldo] Dorticós [Torrado]. There is still no communiqué about the nomination of [Aleksandr] Alekseyev [for a new Soviet ambassador to Cuba].

 

The recall of K. coincides with the nomination of [Carlos] Olivares [Sanchez] to the position of the ambassador to Moscow. Although O. comes from the “26th of July Movement,” he was closely connected with [Anibal] Escalante (who left for Moscow at the end of March of this year). There were allegedly suspicions here that the candidacy of O. will not be liked by the USSR. The most surprising is the selection of K. successor – this is rather unprecedented. Alekseyev as the [Soviet] embassy employee did not belong to the influential group and he always continued to maintain very close relations with [Anibal] Escalante. As of now, there are no commentaries regarding this issue. However, undoubtedly, there is dissonance. At the same time, one can see clear signs of strengthening economic aid for Cuba by the USSR (the protocol of exchange of goods for 1962 has been seriously expanded; contracts for investment equipment; [Soviet] gifts in the area of medical equipment; and the gift of five fishing cutters [which] has not yet been published.

 

In connection with our cables 201 and 205, are we still keeping the dates of Rapacki’s visit to Cuba? I am to see [Foreign Minister Raúl] Roa [García] either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Please send me your response regarding this matter (The new deputy foreign minister who replaced [Carlos] Olivares [Sanchez] is Professor Pelegrin Torras, an old communist activist.)

 

[1] Poland’s ambassador to Cuba (1961-1965).

 

Jelen says the newspapers have announced a farewell visit of [Soviet Ambassador to Cuba Sergei Mikhailovich] Kudryavtsev with [President of Cuba Osvaldo] Dorticós [Torrado]. Jelen also reports that the recall of Kudryavtsev coincides with the nomination of [Carlos] Olivares [Sanchez] to the position of the ambassador to Moscow. Although Olivares comes from the “26th of July Movement,” he was closely connected with [Anibal] Escalante


Document Information

Source

Szyfrogramy from Hawana 1962, 6/77 w-82 t-1264, Polish Foreign Ministry Archive (AMSZ), Warsaw. Obtained by James G. Hershberg (George Washington University) and translated by Margaret K. Gnoinska (Troy University).

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Original Uploaded Date

2012-11-06

Type

Telegram

Language

Record ID

115746

Original Classification

Secret-Exclusive

Donors

Leon Levy Foundation