245. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Dominican Republic1
246. Embtel 286.2 Department is of opinion it is not in their interest or that of the United States for Batista, and other Cubans now residing abroad who were prominent in his regime, to come to the United States at this time. Department would hope and prefer that it will not be necessary for US Consul to consider formal visa applications from these persons and that informally they may be dissuaded from applying at this time. Possible that formal application might be considered at some later date on a case by case basis.
In your discretion you may explain to Guell informally Department’s general view and specifically with regard to Batista you may tell him we would not in any case be in a position to give an immediate affirmative answer should he make formal application. For example the legal problem raised by Sec. 212, A27 of the Act3 would be a definite obstacle which could possibly not be surmounted at present, especially in view of the rumors going around, the recent activities of various other former Latin American chiefs of state now in exile in the US and elsewhere, etc. Furthermore, once he has requested a visa public attention would focus on any determination being made. The resulting publicity and emotional atmosphere would be embarrassing to Batista, particularly if final decision were negative. All concerned would be in a far better position if we could simply assert when questioned that Batista and his group had not formally applied for visas.
Keep Department fully informed on developments in this matter.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 737.00/1–2759. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Snow, Stevenson, Neidle, and Whiteman; cleared with VO, SCA, and H; and approved by Wieland who signed for Dulles. Repeated to Havana, Buenos Aires, Panama, and Santiago de Cuba and pouched to Kingston and Nassau.↩
- Document 241.↩
- The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. (8 USC 1182)↩