837.00/3585: Telegram
The Ambassador in Cuba (Welles) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 1 p.m.]
119. My 117, July 26, 4 p.m. Four hours after the termination of my interview with the President, General Machado made an entirely unexpected visit to the Senate and to the House. In the rambling and at times almost incoherent speeches which he made, the President asked the support of all of the political parties until 1935 and stated that my own mediation here had already been gladly accepted by him because it was “spontaneously offered by a friend of Cuba” and was not undertaken “upon the instruction of the United States Government”. The obvious intention of the President was to make clear that my mediation did not imply any infringement of the sovereignty of Cuba nor impair the authority of the Cuban Government. His visit to the Congress was due to the fact that it was reported to him early in the afternoon that a debate would probably take place in which the charge would be made that the reestablishment of constitutional guarantees and the passage of the amnesty bill had been impressed upon the President and that the leaders of the Conservative Party particularly and some of the members of the Liberal Party would take the lead in urging that the parties take steps to conserve their own interests and sever existing connections with the Machado administration.
The President’s speeches were delivered at a singularly inopportune moment and were in many passages most unfortunately worded. They will unquestionably create a very great measure of disquiet among the opposition circles and will necessarily hinder materially the rapid progress of the mediation negotiations which I had anticipated yesterday morning. The President’s action yesterday afternoon confirms more than ever the opinion expressed in the last paragraph of my telegram number 117 above referred to.
If an appropriate opportunity is presented to comment on President Machado’s speeches it would be helpful if the Department would state that while of course my tender of good offices has been made spontaneously as stated by President Machado, it could not have been made other than with full authorization of my Government.