837.6363/570: Airgram
The Ambassador in Cuba (Braden) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 18—1 p.m.]
A–1031. Reference is made to the Department’s airgram No. A–753 of May 6, 1944.76 The Commercial Attaché, immediately after the Embassy had received the Department’s airgram, inquired of Dr. Diago of ORPA, concerning the steps being taken by Cuba in order to; avail itself of the gasoline-gas oil exchange. Dr. Diago stated that he has given orders that the plan is to be put into effect June 1, and that he expects it will meet with at least some success, although he foresees considerable difficulty in obtaining compliance on the part of bus operators who are not disposed readily to give up their gasoline quotas and take “carburante” instead. Dr. Diago said that ORPA had already induced some consumers to take “carburante”, however, and he estimated that he had saved up to the present time about 90,000 gallons of gas oil in this way.
[Page 966]The hope was expressed by the Commercial Attaché that this gas “oil, together with other quantities that might be saved after June 1, would be made available first to the agriculturists as they were the ones the Prime Minister had in mind when he requested early in January that the Ambassador endeavor to assist in obtaining approval of the proposed exchange. Dr. Diago gave assurance that all additional supplies of gas oil obtained by exchange would be made available to the farmers.
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