837.00/2027: Telegram
The Representative on Special Mission in Cuba (Crowder) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 14—5:26 a.m.]
38. Menocal, Gómez, Zayas and committee of Rotary Club, Ramon Menia president, held a conference at Palace today. Committee urged General Gómez to remain in the race for President and unite with Menocal and Zayas in joint public statement as follows: “On the eve of holding the partial elections, in these moments so solemn for the Republic, we pledge our word of honor to cooperate by all means within our power in order that the right to vote shall be exercised with complete liberty, purity and guarantee.” President Menocal and Zayas consented but Gómez refused being unwilling to reconsider his withdrawal and urging further postponement of elections.
At the same time representatives of Gómez called upon me urging: 1st, holding of new general elections in all six provinces in November next, in substitution for those already held and to be held; 2d, election by Cuban Congress of Provisional President to succeed Menocal May 20 and to serve until result of November elections had been proclaimed, Provisional President to pledge himself not to be a presidential candidate. I rejected this proposition giving as grounds therefor that it afforded no reasonable assurance of different or better conditions in November than we are confronting today, that it would be a bad precedent, would seriously threaten stable government contemplated by treaty obligations and affect adversely the credit of Cuba in this period of financial recovery.
Partisan press now printing exaggerated accounts of isolated disturbances of public order seeking in this way to prove that no adequate electoral guarantees exist. In the improbable contingency that they should become serious, unreserved support of the duly constituted Cuban authorities will in my judgment be sufficient to suppress them.