Oct. 31, 1962 - U Thant and a somber group of his top assistants returned tonight from two days of negotiations with Fidel Castro in Havana. The Acting Secretary General of the U.N. gave a qualified prediction that the dismantling of Soviet missiles in Cuba would be completed by Friday. However, sources stated that, despite Mr. Thant’s optimism about the dismantling of the Soviet bases in Cuba, he had made no progress in his effort to persuade Premier Castro to agree to his plan to send 50 military officers to Cuba to check the work. Every time Mr. Thant raised the subject, Castro countered by demanding the surrender of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay or made different demands. These demands were: cessation of the United States’ “economic blockade” of Cuba; cessation of “subversive” activities; cessation of “piratical attacks” being carried out from bases in the U.S. and Puerto Rico; cessation of alleged violations of Cuban air space and territorial waters by U.S. aircraft and warships.
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