839.113/12–1647

The Ambassador in Cuba (Norweb) to the Secretary of State

confidential
No. 4601

Sir: I have the honor to refer to a sale of arms reportedly being made by certain authorities in Brazil to the Dominican Republic. In this connection, I wish to refer to this Embassy’s telegram No. 713 of December 5, 1947, and more especially to the telegram from our Embassy in Rio de Janeiro to the Department, No. 1700 of December 13, 1947.24 As I have reported, the Minister of State of Cuba, Rafael González Munoz, inquired as to what the United States might do in preventing such a sale of arms, indicating that it might be a threat to Cuba. He asked the Brazilian Ambassador to inform his Government of Cuba’s perturbation and to request the authorities in Rio de Janeiro to stop the sale.

In a conversation with the Brazilian Ambassador yesterday, he informed me of his impressions of recent discussions with the Cuban Minister of State. He said that it was becoming apparent that Cuba was not so much afraid that the arms in question might be used against it, but rather that Cuba was more interested in making a villain of President Trujillo. He indicated to me that the Cuban actuation was one of taking the offensive in an effort to strengthen its own defensive position. This I have also found to be true. As late as today the Minister said he had hoped it might be possible for the Brazilian Government to be influenced and call off this sale of arms through the good offices of some other Government such as the United States. I observed that the United States was interested in the maintenance of peaceful conditions and that we disliked to see a questionable sale of arms almost as much as we deplored the illicit traffic in arms. Of all this he was well aware through my continuing conversations with him in connection with the abortive attempt of last summer.25 While Cuba has not admitted any implication, the Minister of State today said that the Brazilian Ambassador in Habana had also spoken to him along the same lines. However, it appears likely that Cuba will endeavor to employ [Page 143] every device to minimize its culpability or to shift the blame to other quarters.

[Here follows information that a senior Cuban military official, though not anticipating a direct attack on Cuba from the Dominican Republic, felt that the quantities and types of arms sought by the Dominican Republic from Brazil could at some future date be useful to a revolutionary movement seeking to overthrow the Government of Cuba.]

Respectfully yours,

R. Henry Norweb
  1. Latter not printed.
  2. For documentation on this subject, see pp. 629 ff.