Office of the Historian

611.3731/285

The Secretary of State to the Cuban Ambassador (Ferrara)

Washington, June 13, 1928.

Excellency: I have the honor to refer to Your Excellency’s note of December 15, 1927,2 proposing certain tentative bases for the possible revision of the reciprocity treaty of 1902.3

This important subject has been receiving the earnest consideration of the Government of the United States since it was brought up by the Cuban Government over two years ago. In order that all phases of the subject might be examined in the light of all the pertinent facts, the United States Tariff Commission, as Your Excellency is aware, has been making during the past two years a detailed study of the history, operation and effects of the treaty. In November, 1926, Ambassador Crowder transmitted to your Government a copy of a preliminary analysis prepared by the Commission.4 I now transmit for the information of your Government copies of the report which has just been completed, entitled “The Effects of the Cuban Reciprocity Treaty of 1902”.5

The tentative proposals set forth in Your Excellency’s note of December 15, 1927, and the annexes thereto have been carefully studied by the interested branches of the Government of the United States. These proposals, which are much more favorable to Cuba than to the United States, appear to be based upon the assumption that the reciprocity treaty has operated and now operates more to the advantage of the United States than of Cuba. The report of the Tariff Commission, however, clearly indicates that such is not the case. Accordingly, when the proposals of the Cuban Government are examined in the light of that report, it does not appear on what basis they can be justified.

[Page 641]

I shall not take this occasion to discuss the subject at greater length, since I am sure that the Cuban Government will desire to re-examine the matter in the light of the full data contained in the report of the Tariff Commission.

Accept [etc.]

Frank B. Kellogg
  1. ibid., p. 508.↩
  2. Ibid., 1903, p. 375.↩
  3. Not printed.↩
  4. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1929.↩