837.6363/536: Airgram
The Ambassador in Cuba ( Braden ) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 23.]
A–560. The question of shipments of fuel oil by Petróleos Mexicanos64 to Cumex in 1944, as raised in the Department’s A–293 of [Page 960] February 19, 1944, 1:40 p.m.,65 has a strong bearing on the general proposition of Cumex participation in the Cuban Pool and these matters were simultaneously discussed with present Pool members.
The results to date of the discussions of Cumex membership have been reported in the Embassy’s airgram A–531 of March 16, 1944, 11:50 a.m. To the information contained therein should be added the fact that all parties agreed that Cumex participation in pooling of information and other national pool activities should be limited to fuel oil, this being the only product it has handled in this market to date. Pool members believe, and the Embassy concurs, that access by means of national pool membership to detailed information on other products might facilitate the entry of Petróleos Mexicanos into post-war competition in those fields.
With regard to proposed shipments by Pemex to Cumex in 1944, Mr. Randall,66 the Chairman of the local Pool, states that it has never agreed to a 500,000 barrel figure, nor to any figure at all. He informs the Embassy, further, that the Pool has never specified the ports to which Pemex shipments should be made; and that, as a matter of fact, Cumex has recently been receiving all of its shipments at northwest ports. Mr. Reynoso is alleged to have told Mr. Randall that Pemex plans to continue shipping all of its Cumex cargoes to northwest ports, and the Pool states that it has no objection to this procedure provided that Cumex’s sales are limited to approximately 211,000 barrels per year; to which amount it is entitled under the pooling agreement.
Should more detailed information on this matter be required, the Embassy will, upon request, elaborate in the form of a despatch.