837.61351/304
The Secretary of State to the Cuban Minister (Céspedes)
Sir: I have the honor to refer to your note of August 23, 1921, and to the Department’s reply of September 3, relative to the possible sale to Germany of Cuban raw sugar to be refined in Germany and delivered to France on reparation account.
I now have the honor to inform you that the Department is in receipt of a communication from the Secretary to the American Unofficial Delegation on the Reparation Commission,2 stating that although the Reparation Commission had not acted upon the principle involved, it appeared improbable that the Commission would require Germany to deliver foodstuffs on reparation account if as a result Germany would be compelled to import other foodstuffs for her own needs or raw materials to produce foodstuffs for exportation. However, the Secretary of the American Unofficial Delegation advises that, according to information supplied by a French official connected with the Reparation Commission, France probably requires from 350,000 to 400,000 tons of imported sugar for the year 1921, and that such part of this as cannot be obtained from Germany on reparation account is being obtained from Cuba.
Accept [etc.]
- Despatch of Oct. 27; not printed.↩