◆ SpookStack

Shortly, following the visit of Roberto Alejos to the Department of State, Carlos Alejos, the Arnbassa- dor of Guatemala to the United States, paid a formal calIon Secretary of State Rusk "mainly to get acquainted and to extend greetings personally and in behalf of Presi- dent Ydigoras." Wymberley Coerr, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for American Republic Affairs, who would re- place Thomas Mann, and Richard Godfrey, the Officer in charge of Guatemalan affairs, were also in attendance at this session, along with an interpreter. The Depart- ment of State Memorandum of Conversation is couched in the general platitudes of diplomatic language and while Alejos probably was hoping to get some support from the Department for the employment of the Cuban Brigade against Castro, nonesuch was forthcoming. What he got instead was'the "big picture" about developments of an inter- American, anti-Castro program from Secretary Rusk. One interesting comment which appeared in State's held with Kennedy. He said that he carne to \vashington at the request of President Ydigoras to discuss getting the B~igade out of Guatemala. 83/ Although this was of concern to Ydigoras, this was not the principal thrust of the letter which Alejos carried to Kennedy. Ydigoras's principal concern was whether the Brigade was in fact going to be employed in an attempt to oust Fidel Castro from Cuba. -,8:Jr.. TOP 7~RET