Poland. Embassy (Cuba)

Jelen discusses a conversation he had with [Foreign Minister Raúl] Roa [García] on 9 September. They discussed diplomatic visits, UN delegation sessions, and growing tensions in the 'Cuban situation' and possible US military action against Cuba.

According to the Polish ambassador, Moscow’s goal to install missile launchers in Cuba was not completely clear. The explanation given by the Soviet Deputy Premier Sergei Mikoyan that Moscow wanted to use the missiles to obtain a guarantee for Cuba had obvious holes, Jeleń argued. To him, the Soviet move seemed more like a political ploy than military strategy. Warsaw’s emissary in Havana concluded his critical observations by stating that the Soviet Union did not make a mistake in withdrawing the missiles as the Cubans suggested but rather by installing them in the first place.

According to this Polish report, Soviet Ambassador Kudryavtsev’s dismissal was made at Fidel Castro’s explicit request.

This 1969 Polish intelligence document details the restrictive surveillance environment in Cuba, particularly on personnel of socialist embassies. It describes widespread monitoring of embassy staff by Cuban counterintelligence, including designated "guardians" who closely observe foreigners’ social interactions. Additionally, it reports severe rationing, limited public social spaces, and restricted freedom of movement for diplomatic staff, who face barriers to interacting freely with locals due to fear of government retribution.

This document summary was generated by an artificial intelligence language model and was reviewed by a Wilson Center staff member.

Jelen reports to Krajewski on the Punta del Este, based on conversations with Blas Roca [Caldeiro], [Raul] Roa [Garcia], and [Carlos] Lechuga, about the situation in various Latin American countries: Mexico, Bolivia, Columbia, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Cuba.