837.24/1601
The Chargé in Cuba (Briggs) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 1.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department of recent developments regarding farm machinery furnished by the United States to the Cuban Comision de Fomento National57 to aid the program for increased farm production and agricultural diversification in Cuba.
The Embassy is informed that on or about June 1 the following machinery arrived in Cuba consigned to the Fomento:
| 40 | track-type tractors |
| 43 | disk plows |
| 50 | one-row peanut planters |
| 56 | two-row peanut planters |
| 5 | rice binders |
| 10 | rice threshers |
| 15 | rice drills |
This machinery was unloaded beginning June 11, after payment of demurrage caused by the Fomento’s neglect of arrangements for receiving and handling. At the present date, June 29, the machinery is still in crates at Habana awaiting formulation of plans for distribution which apparently have not been satisfactorily established between the Fomento and the Ministry of Agriculture.
It is of interest to note that the shipment is largely planting machinery which arrived in Cuba too late to be used for summer crops. Only the rice binders and threshers have any prospect of being used on the present crop.
The peanut pickers which are considered by the Embassy to be most important and to be needed most urgently for the harvest already beginning, have not yet arrived in Cuba. The Embassy’s telegram No. 436 of June 26, 1943,58 called attention to this situation.
Respectfully yours,
Agricultural Attaché