837.61351/3340
The Ambassador in Cuba (Braden) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 3.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Department’s instruction No. 698 of September 25, 1942 and to state that pursuant thereto the memorandum21 placing our maximum sugar requirements from Cuba in 1943 at 2,600,000 short tons was handed to the Minister of State by Mr. Briggs on September 29. (I was unable personally to deliver this document inasmuch as I was confined to my house with tonsilitis.)
As will be observed from the enclosed memorandum21 of Mr. Briggs’ conversation with Dr. Martínez, the Minister expressed himself in a [Page 334] highly pessimistic vein, and it is obvious that we must anticipate, at the least, great opposition on the part of the Cuban Government to the sale to us of what they consider an inadequately small amount.
Likewise enclosed is a memorandum23 of a conversation yesterday between Mr. Briggs and Dr. Mañas which throws further light on the probable attitude of the Cuban Government, and in particular on the difficult situation in which the Prime Minister has placed himself by his recent public statements encouraging the Cuban people to believe that another 4,000,000 long ton crop is a practical possibility.
Respectfully yours,
Counselor of Embassy