837.24/12–1444
The Foreign Economic Administrator (Crowley) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 16.]
Dear Mr. Stettinius: I have the Department’s letter of November 21, 1944 (FMA61 837–24/10–2447), in reply to my letter to Mr. Hull, dated October 24, 1944, with reference to Cuba’s default under her Lend-Lease agreement—and more particularly to Ambassador Braden’s secret airgram (A–2223) of October 2, 1944, on that subject. In that connection, I would like to express my appreciation of the efforts which the Department has made thus far to collect the amount due and payable.
The formal billing of Cuba and the other Latin American Republics was unavoidably delayed for reasons beyond the control of this Administration and its predecessor, the Office of Lend-Lease Administration. As you are already familiar with these reasons, I shall not repeat them here. I do not believe, however, that the delay in formal billing should be deemed to affect the question of Cuba’s default under her agreement.
While I note that the Department is of the opinion that alternative methods for expediting payment are deemed inadvisable at this time [Page 918] for political reasons, I hope the Department will give favorable consideration to repeating our request for payment at the earliest practicable date.
I am writing you a separate letter dealing with the other Latin American accounts, and would like to assure you that there is not and has not been any desire on the part of this Administration to single out Cuba for any different treatment than the other countries who are in default.
Sincerely yours,
- Division of Financial and Monetary Affairs.↩