Wouldn't We All Like to Have This Box. . .
THE embargo is an absurd and irrational relic, according to JFK’s advisor Richard Goodwin, speaking at the academic conference in Havana entitled "Bay of Pigs, 40 Years After".
He added that he had no doubt that if Cuba were a powerful country, it would have had a dialogue with the United States for some time, but this is now defined by the internal politics of the Cuban-American National Foundation. Hence there is always a political cost for achieving some agreement with Cuba.
He commented that the majority of U.S. citizens would welcome a settlement with Cuba. Among the people of the United States, there is no hostility toward Cuba, excepting certain members of the right wing and the Cuban exile community.
MEETING WITH CHE GUEVARA
Goodwin recalled his meeting with Comandante Che Guevara at a reception in Montevideo, after the Bay of Pigs invasion. He confided that Che had given him a box of Cuban cigars which he has kept to this day.
Che commented to Goodwin that the United States had committed a serious error by carrying out the Bay of Pigs invasion, as it had in its attempts to assassinate Fidel, because he was the born leader of the Cuban revolutionary process.
They also talked about the 'petit bourgeoisie' that left Cuba for the United States. He was very frank, Goodwin stated, and they had a very open discussion. Che told him that he was going to talk to him about Cuba’s problems, stating that there was serious economic damage, with U.S. machinery breaking down and no spare parts available.
Goodwin went on to say that Che expressed his wish to reestablish trade with the United States, and for an end to the blockade. He also commented on the possibility of Cuba participating in the Alliance for Progress, although he thought that it would be a failure, due to Washington’s insistence on the issue of social change. Che affirmed that it was only a possibility, according to Goodwin’s version.
Kennedy’s special advisor said that they also talked about expropriated properties in Cuba, but clarified that he spent most of the time listening, as he lacked the authority to discuss those issues.
He recounted the whole conversation to Kennedy in a memorandum. Goodwin took the box of cigars given him by Che to the White House. Kennedy lit one and confirmed that they were very good, and Goodwin responded that they were always the best.
After the Bay of Pigs, Goodwin sensed that Kennedy wasn’t psychologically prepared to talk about Cuba, but he did recommend Operation Mongoose to them. That was the second stage.
However, according to Goodwin, Kennedy’s insecurity disappeared with the Missile Crisis, which made the U.S. president feel more confident and more capable of confronting the world.
Kennedy viewed the results of the Missile Crisis as a great victory over the Soviet Union, in relation to Cuba. It was at that point that the U.S. president thought he should make contact with the Cuban government, although logically this would have been very difficult, but his assassination in Dallas put an end to those negotiations. (Editor’s note: Contacts were made between representatives of both countries at the UN until November 22, 1963.)
