837.61351/3036: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Cuba (Braden)

339. For Briggs from Walmsley: With reference to our telephone conversation this afternoon Sabin points to the last paragraph of your 320 of May 18 in which you say that in accordance with your suggested formula “no ‘loan’ would therefore be involved”. He also points to that portion of the DSC’s letter of May 23, of which a copy was sent to you with instruction no. 10 of May 26,7 reading “as we understand it, the Corporation would defer the purchase and acceptance of not more than 10,000,000 gallons of blackstrap molasses. The quantity [Page 327] deferred would be delivered by the Institute after January 1, 1943, presumably from 1943 production”.

The DSC does not feel at liberty to interpret the Board of Economic Warfare’s “directive” in the sense in which you have understood the transaction; so in view of your representations I shall approach the BEW again tomorrow. [Walmsley.]

Hull
  1. Not printed.