DELIVERY OF SOVIET FLOGGERS TO CUBA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84B00049R000701750015-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 31, 2008
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: January 11, 2002
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2008/03/31: CIA-RDP84B00049R000701750015-1
DrPARTMrNT OF STATE
FIST:
i NSC review completed
SECRET
PM
PRA
EUR
S/S
S/S-I
UNA (Amb.
/SENSITIVL.
OSD review completed
Kirkpatrick) 1?iEMORAKL'UM FOR tiiI.LTAf P. CLARK
THE WHITE HOUSE
Subject: Delivery of Soviet FlogoerS to Cuba
An intecrFIcency meeting chaired today by Ambassador Stoessel
concluded that (,)'.:r st_rat&CJy for responding to the additional
shipment of Floq ers to Cuba should:
? build support for our onao i nq Aron raps to counter
Cuba;
? avoid pr.oviclinn the Soviets with an opportunity to
provoke a crisis in the Caribbean; and
? avoid accusations that we, like the previous Admini-
stration, have: acquiesced to to a clear Soviet
challenge to our interests in the Caribbean.
Accordingly, we crop 5P the following course of action:
. Press Statement. The State Department will issue a
press statement (attached) drawing attention to the MIGs ane
their serio%is implications for regional security and stabili tv,
but in a way tbrt will attempt to avoid the development of
crisis in the Caribbean that would divert attention from the
crisis in Poland. Our iinrne5iate objectives are to:
? preempt possible leaks;
? put the issue in proper perspective and help eef i ne
the terms of the public and Congressional debate; and
? avoid having the Administration pressed into overreacting
by exacgerated or distorted media reports.
SECRET
State Dept. review
completed
/SENSITIVE
RnS-
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SECRET/SFN,c1lTIVE
With these objectives in mind, we would anticipate releasina
the proposed statement Tuesday.
military M(?asu_rc--:.. We are cunt inuinn to examine a variety
of possiT le steps. DnD believes that deployment of F-16 air-
craft to Homestead AFU, Florida would be ineffective and would
be regarded as entirely cosmetic. We are studyinq other possible
measures including SR-7l surveillance fliqhts, and increased
air and naval activity in the area. Our objective is to avoid
creating a crisis atmosphere while, at the same time, distin-
cuishinq our responses from the ineffective steps taken by the
previous Administration when confronted with a similar situa-
tion. We will be workina with the Defense Department on a dis-
cussion paper for i nteraaaency consideration of possible US mili-
tary responses.
Diplomatic Strategy. We are developing an approach for
raisins the issuewith the Soviets, including the question of
its treatment in Secretary Nai(:'s meeting with Fornigtn Minister
Gromyko later this month. We are preparing a discussion paper
for interagency consideration of the diplomatic issues, includ-
inq the question of whether and how to refine or supplement the
1962 Onderstindings.
Conaressional Consultations Given our desire to avoid
dramatics and to control the evolution of this situation,
we suqqest no advance consultations with the Congress. We
would draw on the same Q & A with the Congress as with the
press, on an if-asked basis.
L. Paul Bremer, III
Executive Secretary
Attachments:
1. Press Statement.
2. Contingency Questions and Answers.
SECRET/SENSITIVE
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QUESTIO':S R.?:;. ANSWEi