Beck, János

Hungarian Ambassador to Cuba János Beck summarizes the current relations between Cuba and other socialist nations. The Cuban Missile Crisis revealed problems in Cuba—weak communist party, a focus on world revolution rather than economic development—and stalled relations between Cuba and socialist countries.

Ambassador János Beck reports on Foreign Minister Péter Mód’s visit to Cuba, and with whom he met. The report is divided among four different official meetings: Foreign Minister Raul Roa, Prime Minister Fidel Castro, Carlos Rafael Rodriguez, and the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations (ORI). Beck summarizes each meeting separately. Topics include Cuba’s expectation of a US invasion and the US’s current clandestine activities, Organization of American States (OAS) and its use as a political tool in US-Latin American relations, Sino-Soviet relations, socialist unity and the importance of Soviet trade, Cuba’s perceived Soviet military advantage over the US, and the Communist Party’s development/popularity in Cuba. Many of these topics appear in various meetings outlined in the report.

János Beck reports on his conversation with Yugoslav ambassador to Havana, Boško Vidaković. Vidaković notes an increased interest in Yugoslav socialism among Castro supporters. Previously Cuban officials rebuffed Vidaković. Vidaković believes the change is prompted by Cuba’s difficult economic and political situation, in which the latter includes organizational and leadership strife.

Hungarian Ambassador to Cuba János Beck reports on a cocktail party at the Soviet embassy and his discussions with Anastas Mikoyan and other socialist ambassadors. The socialist ambassadors did not meet with Soviet leaders during the Cuban Missile Crisis and were not informed of developments. Beck adds that discussions at the reception did not elaborate beyond published news reports. In one instance, Beck notes that Mikoyan ignored questions about the Cuban public’s criticism of the Soviet handling of the crisis.

In a top secret report, Hungarian Ambassador to Cuba János Beck describes a recent meeting with Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticos. Beck divides the conversation among five categories—agriculture, industry, central planning, counter-revolutionary activities, and the party. Dorticos reports improvements and obstacles (e.g. agricultural production is developing, though slowly, and the growth of the party remains in its initial stages of formation).