837.00/4544: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of State, at Montevideo
110. Your 78, December 21, 11 a.m. The Richmond has been anchored in Habana Harbor since the early part of September, during which time none of the enlisted men have been permitted to go ashore. In order to permit the men to have shore leave during the Christmas holidays, arrangements were made early in December for the Richmond to proceed to Panama for the holiday period and for the Wyoming, which has recently been stationed at Guantanamo, to take the place of the Richmond at Habana during the latter’s absence. The [Page 545] replacement is purely a routine matter, determined upon many weeks ago and has no connection whatever with any recent developments in Cuba. Similar replacement of the Richmond by the Wyoming took place once before for similar reasons.