Office of the Historian

837.01/52: Telegram

The Ambassador in Cuba (Welles) to the Acting Secretary of State73

Habana, December 2, 1933—11 a.m.
[Received 1:10 p.m.]

488. The newly arrived Italian Minister called to see me yesterday. He advised me that he was instructed by his Government that it would make no move towards recognition of any Cuban government until such government had received the approval of the United States. He stated that he himself had informed his Government that in his judgment there was no possible basis for recognition of any government such as the present Cuban government. He told me confidentially that his Foreign Office had been in communication with the French and British Foreign Offices concerning the recognition question and that the three Governments were in entire accord to follow the lead of the United States in this matter. He added that the question of recognition by Great Britain had arisen solely due to the initiative of the British Minister here who, as I had surmised, believed that the hardships and injustices being occasioned Jamaican negroes now in Cuba by the existing authorities might be lessened if recognition from Great Britain were forthcoming. The French Minister and the German Minister have personally stated that their Governments would take no action until we had moved in the matter.

The Chilean Minister yesterday informed me that he had consistently advised his own Government against recognition of the present Cuban regime and that he had received no intimation whatever from his Minister for Foreign Affairs that recognition was even under consideration. He repeated to me that Cruchaga was entirely in accord with the policy pursued by the United States here in every way. The Brazilian Minister and the Argentine Chargé d’Affaires have given me most positively to understand that their Governments have shown no indications of changing the policy they have pursued up to the present time of withholding recognition until a representative Cuban government comes into power.

Welles
  1. Transmitted to the Secretary of State at Montevideo in telegram No. 34, December 4, 9 p.m.↩