812.5018/7–2843

The Chief of the Division of the American Republics (Bonsal) to the Ambassador in Mexico (Messersmith)

Dear Mr. Ambassador: I have your letter of July 28, 1943, and I have also seen your letter of July 3048 written to McGurk,49 regarding Mexico’s request for 15 to 20 thousand tons of corn. I assure you that we have thoroughly explored the situation here through Agriculture and Commodity Credit Corporation. There is not a ton of corn to be had on the market in any place in the United States according to these two agencies, and there is no possibility of requisitioning it. The farmers just will not sell their corn and it is not coming on the market.

Just prior to your telephone conversation with McGurk this morning we had been exploring with Agriculture and Commodity Credit the possibility of getting some corn from Cuba. We learned that Commodity Credit had bought up the Cuban surplus and that there was a possibility of obtaining some of it for Mexico. Shortly thereafter Mr. de la Colina, the Counselor of the Mexican Embassy, telephoned McGurk and said that they had had an urgent message from the Foreign Office in Mexico City to request us to explore the possibility of obtaining on an urgent basis up to 15,000 tons of Cuban corn through our agencies. We have this under way now, and Commodity Credit has promised to let us know in two days just how much corn can be delivered to Mexico. We have informed the Mexican Embassy that the transaction must be on a cash basis and they have agreed. Mr. McGurk will keep you currently informed of the progress we may make toward getting some Cuban corn to satisfy the Mexican demand.

With warm regards

Sincerely yours,

P[hilip] W. B[onsal]
  1. Neither printed.
  2. Joseph F. McGurk, Assistant Chief, Division of the American Republics.