496. Memorandum of Telephone Conversations Between the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) and Senator James O. Eastland, Washington, April 1, 19601
Mr. Rubottom called the Senator to tell him that he had heard about something yesterday which prompts him to call because the Senator has been very cooperative and helpful and we want to be the same.
[Page 878]Mr. Rubottom said he heard that some newspaperman had gotten hold of a line, or at least he may be working on it—we don’t know if he has a story—to the effect that Senator Eastland’s committee or certain parts of the committee and the INS, General Swing’s outfit, are “pressuring” certain of these more recent defectors from Cuba to appear before the committee. The man who received this phone call came immediately to Mr. Rubottom to ask him if he had heard anything about it. Mr. Rubottom said he had not, and the man called back the newspaperman and told him we knew nothing about it.
Mr. Rubottom said he doesn’t like journalists developing that line of approach to this matter which is a very delicate one, and he just wanted to tell the Senator that as far as he is concerned he feels we still have the cooperation of his committee.
The Senator said he had not heard a thing about this and wondered what the point would be in such a story. Mr. Rubottom replied he would guess that this would then tend to discourage defectors—he would suppose—and they would be afraid to come up to the United States if they thought they would have to appear before committees.
The Senator said the person they have subpoenaed is the wife of one of the Americans in Cuba and it is the only one he knows about, and they have been going down there interviewing.
Mr. Rubottom said he had one of his colleagues call Joe Swing last night because he wants to do everything possible to avoid giving credence to this thing. General Swing said he did not know of anything either, as far as “pressuring” is concerned.
Turning again to the hearings, the Senator said he has never agreed he won’t hold them...2 just while the trip was in progress. Mr. Rubottom said he understood that. The Senator continued that he totally disagrees with our Cuban policy but hasn’t tried to embarrass us. He thinks we should pull the sugar quota. Mr. Rubottom asked if he had told Cong. Cooley that since he wants to leave it that way for another full year. The Senator said “it is going to be” but frankly he agrees with everything Sen. Smathers has said. He said he thinks it is appeasement down there and a lot of others up here feel the same.
Mr. Rubottom said he wishes we could say a lot of things in public but frankly we can’t. It is a very tough situation we are going through. Mr. Rubottom said all he is trying to do is tell the Senator that we had heard a story might be printed. He said he has no misunderstanding about “how you and I expressed ourselves when we talked, but I don’t like the press trying to drive a wedge in between”.
The Senator asked Mr. Rubottom if he is opposed to their interviewing people who come over from Cuba and Mr. Rubottom replied, not in all cases. If there are some good speakers, e. g. right now a [Page 879] newspaperman and former labor leader are traveling around Latin America, who go around and make speeches against Castro, he thinks we should encourage them to do that kind of thing without milking them dry in the kind of forum the Senator’s committee presents. Further, if we can keep in touch with each other as we have been doing Mr. Rubottom said he believes we can be mutually helpful.
In closing, the Senator said he would have his secretary call Mr. Rubottom’s office and give us the names of the two or three people that have been subpoenaed by his committee.
Later in the morning the Senator called Mr. Rubottom back to tell him that the people his committee has subpoenaed are Americans, relatives of the two involved in the recent plane incident. Mr. Rubottom commented it might be that the reporter was on a “fishing expedition”.