837.24/1117: Airgram

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

A–450. For Ravndal51 from Adam:52 Some difficulty was encountered in presenting Plan (A)53 in Cuba because of the easy maritime shipping situation which makes its adoption here less urgent than in most other Latin American countries. The Embassy, however, recognized its advantages from other points of view so that a plan was finally agreed to in principle based on minimum changes from present procedure in view of Cuba’s favored shipping position.

[Page 192]

The Embassy plans to have early consultations with the responsible heads of the Country Agency54 and to assist them in any way practicable to set up an enlarged organization. Every effort will be made to inaugurate an interim procedure effective May 1, 1943, designed to inaugurate the plan as soon as possible with the available personnel. Interim procedure will consist of setting up a list of articles (all those under allocation plus a limited number of additional ones in free supply yet to be agreed upon) for which export license applications should be refused by BEW55 unless accompanied by Import Recommendations (or Certificates of Necessity for period May 1–31). When Country Agency and increased Embassy staff are functioning smoothly, list will be increased so as eventually to include all commodities.

Considerable difficulty was forecast, however, in augmenting staff of Country Agency because of added expense to Cuban Government. [Adam.]

Braden
  1. Christian M. Ravndal, Chief of the Division of Exports and Requirements.
  2. Hector C. Adam, Jr., of the Department of State accompanied William Greene of the Board of Economic Warfare on a tour of Havana, Port-au-Prince, Ciudad Trujillo, Port of Spain, Fort de France, and San Juan, with the purpose of explaining the new export control plan (Decentralization Plan A) to the Missions.
  3. Decentralization Plan A, described in Department’s circular airgram, January 19, p. 106.
  4. The Cuban office responsible for administering import controls.
  5. Board of Economic Warfare.