November 27 - November 30, 1962

This page includes documents from November 27th to 30th. It includes Mikoyan’s speech after meeting Castro, Castro’s response to Mikoyan’s speech, U.S. discussions about verifying the removal of weapons, and eyewitness reports of continued Soviet military presence in Cuba.

November 27, 1962

A telegram sent from London to the SSEA described the decreased tensions during the fifth week of the crisis as being “a little lower in temperature” (CDNW12662). Anastus Mikoyan, a Soviet foreign minister known for his patience and experience, conducted meetings with Castro to push for the missile transfer deal, and London was optimistic that Mikoyan could help Castro see reason. However, a telegram sent from Washington, DC on the same day (CDNW12489) made it clear that America was “incompatible” with the “Marxist-Leninist regime in Cuba,” signalling that US-Cuba tensions clearly remained. 

November 28, 1962

As seen in document CDNW12682, sent from NATOParis, discussions concerning the “verification of the removal of weapons and safeguards against the reintroduction of weapons” remained within the US government since Castro continued to refuse US surveillance. 

November 29, 1962

Two telegrams detail the demobilization of the Soviet military in Cuba and the aftermath of the Mikoyan-Castro talks. Cable CDNW12677 was sent from the British ambassador to Cuba to the SSEA, communicating that all Soviet military personnel and their weapons had been withdrawn from Cuba. The second telegram (CDNW12678) is a summary of Mikoyan’s speech before departing Cuba and Castro’s response. In Mikoyan’s speech, he “praised Castro, his followers, and the Cuban people” while encouraging further cooperation between the Soviets and Cubans. Shortly after Mikoyan left Cuba, Castro issued his own response, which was quite the opposite of Mikoyan’s. While Mikoyan’s speech communicated that a solution had been found between the two sides, Castro wrote about “possible developments over the Cuban crisis,” so it seemed like Castro was on a different page than Mikoyan. 

November 30, 1962

Despite Khrushchev’s reassurance to the US that they were withdrawing their military from Cuba, a telegram from Havana, Cuba to the SSEA indicated that this wasn’t the case (CDNW12691). According to this telegram, reports from various Cuban sources, like a Cuban engineer, claimed they saw “convoys of trucks… under Soviet military escort.”