837.658/341
The Cuban Ambassador (Coneheso) to the Secretary of State
The Ambassador of Cuba presents his compliments to His Excellency the Secretary of State and has the honor to inform him that he has received instructions from his Government to request His Excellency’s good offices with the different war economic agencies of his Government to obtain the approval of a project for the establishment in Cuba of three plants for dehydrating vegetables to be installed and operated by the American Dehydrating Company of Cuba, which has been submitted and is awaiting approval by the said war economic agencies.
As His Excellency knows, the establishment of the said three dehydrating plants will have the immediate purpose of supplying 40,000,000 pounds of dehydrated vegetables to the United States, through a contract already signed between the Commodity Credit Corporation and the American Dehydrating Company of Cuba. This contract, in addition to signifying an effective collaboration of the [Page 233] people of Cuba in the supplying of food to the Army and people of the United States, will result in the cultivation of about 40,000 acres of land on approximately 3,000 small estates and in the employment of a substantial number of workers. In the industrial process the plants will employ about 3,000 workers and in the farming operations, in the seasons of cultivation and harvesting of the crops, approximately 20,000 agricultural workers will obtain employment.
The interest of my Government in the approval of this project is accentuated by the fact that, in order to carry out fully its agreement with the Commodity Credit Corporation, the American Dehydrating Company of Cuba has already signed contracts with Cuban farmers and the latter have begun their work in preparation for seeding and, in case the project is disapproved, wholly or in part, by the agencies of this Government, considerable difficulties and losses will be caused for the Cuban farmers.
The establishment of the dehydrating plants will represent a step of real progress and of great magnitude in the program of diversified agriculture which my Government is carrying on with the valued cooperation and aid of Your Excellency’s Government, and very especially of the Department of State, for this project will not limit its scope to supplying food for the United States during the present emergency period, but, after the end of this period, the dehydrating plants will make possible the exportation of vegetable products which in their natural state can not be sold abroad because of their easy and rapid decomposition. At the same time and for the same reason, the dehydration of vegetables will make easier and more economical the domestic supply for the people of Cuba, thus improving their nutritional standards, because, due to the warmth and humidity of our climate, fresh vegetables and fruits have prohibitive distribution costs which make their consumption by the poor and middle classes of our country impossible. The Ambassador of Cuba will be profoundly grateful for the attention which Your Excellency may show this request.