837.51/764
The Representative on Special Mission in Cuba (Crowder) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 25.]
Dear Mr. Secretary: In its cable No. 24, April 11th, 6 p.m., the Department acted, in a very helpful way, on my Memoranda Nos. 6 and 7, the first dealing with “Congress and the Budget for 1922–23,” and the second dealing with “The Executive and the Budget for 1922–23.” Both Memoranda were presented to President Zayas, the latter in the revised form indicated by the Department, on the morning of April 13th, and with the effect attempted to be described in my No. 23 of April 17th.27 I continue hopeful that the result will be an economical budget sanctioned by the Congress, though the action of the Senate in passing yesterday the objectionable Amnesty Law28 is a bit disturbing. …
Today I am forwarding a Memorandum, No. 8, on the subject, “Graft, Corruption and Immorality in the Public Administration,”29 to which I invite the Department’s very special attention, with request that I be informed by cable whether its presentation is approved. I shall follow this Memorandum with another on the Reform of the National Lottery which I hope to forward by mail not later than Wednesday, April 26th. Collectively these two Memoranda embrace about all that I think it is politic to say at the present time on reforms in the Public Administration, necessary to exclude the corruption that prevails here.
With the strong approval of the Department and warning to the Zayas Administration, through Minister Céspedes, as suggested in [Page 1025] the concluding portion of my despatch of April 5th [March 25?], I shall be hopeful of accomplishing much along the lines indicated during the remaining months of the current fiscal year. Without such approval and warning, I think it quite probable that little will be accomplished.
The Department will notice the deficiencies of my Memorandum No. 8 dealing with Graft, Corruption and Immorality in the Public Administration. I have not been able to present much in the way of specific instances of corruption. There is here almost a conspiracy to conceal facts, and I am utterly unable to obtain evidence which would satisfy beyond a reasonable doubt or to establish even a prima facie case. One merchant submitted for my confidential use a record of his sales of materiel to the Government under this administration, showing that every voucher had been padded at the request of the officials with whom he dealt to an amount always largely in excess of purchase price, and in one instance almost equal to three times the purchase price. I have no doubt that this is the general practice, but I cannot assemble the proof without the aid of compulsory process; hence my reliance on general accusation.
I have [etc.]
- Not printed; General Crowder stated that “effect promises to be most salutary”.↩
- See General Crowder’s telegram no. 149 of Dec. 10, Foreign Relations, 1921, vol. i, p. 768.↩
- Not printed.↩