312. Editorial Note
On June 1, Bonsal, who had returned to Havana the day before, met with Minister of State Agramonte and spoke with him along the lines of the “talking paper” as he had been instructed. During their conversation Agramonte offered little comment except to say that he was arranging for Bonsal to see Castro at the earliest possible moment, since it was important for Bonsal to discuss with Castro these “fundamental issues.” (Telegram 1468 from Havana, June 1; Department of State, Central Files, 611.37/6–159)
On June 3, Bonsal received a message from Castro through Agramonte apologizing for the delay in receiving Bonsal and promising that a meeting would be arranged for that day or the next. Bonsal told the Department that he was convinced that the agrarian reform law as published was “unworkable in practice.” He speculated that because Castro was concerned about “saving face” and not appearing [Page 517] to yield to American pressure regarding the law, the Prime Minister was reluctant to see him. (Telegram 1492 from Havana, June 3; ibid., 837.16/6–359)