837.00/4475: Telegram
The Ambassador in Cuba (Welles) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 4:22 p.m.]
494. I have had additional conferences Sunday and yesterday with leaders of the political parties and with representatives of Dr. Grau. All of the opposition leaders will themselves accept the form of solution proposed in my 489, December 2, 1 p.m., provided Grau will agree definitely to resign the Presidency not later than April 1st next [Page 532] and will agree that his substitute be elected at a joint session of the new Cabinet and the Council of State as provided in the compromise agreement proposed. The leaders state that the sentiment within their parties at the present time is almost unanimously opposed to any formula that would permit Grau to retain office but they have given me assurances that they themselves will accept the solution and believe that they can persuade their followers to support their decision. Doctor Grau, however, has reversed the agreement he originally expressed to the plan proposed and is now holding out for his continuation in the Presidency until May 20th and the election of his substitute by the constitutional convention which convention if the members are elected while he is in the Presidency would in all likelihood be composed of individuals selected by himself and it is therefore obvious that when the time came to select his successor the convention would either reelect him or select someone indicated by him. If he maintains his present attitude therefore there is not the remotest hope that the opposition parties will agree to the compromise formula.
General Menocal yesterday issued a manifesto to the Cuban people from Miami rejecting in the name of the revolutionary junta all possibility of the acceptance of the formula proposed by the Uruguayan Minister and attacking principally any solution based on the retention in control of the existing Army.
Most of Menocal’s principal followers, however, are opposed to his present insistence on revolution. I saw yesterday Doctor Des Vernine who was Menocal’s Secretary of State for 7 years and Dr. Albanes one of Menocal’s outstanding supporters in the last Congress. Both have notified Menocal they will not support him in his present attitude until all possibility of a peaceful solution has passed.
There is a very strong feeling among the leaders of all parties that Grau’s intention is to prolong the negotiations for conciliation until he has obtained the large quantities of arms and ammunition for the government which have been ordered from Europe and from the United States and that as soon as he considers himself sufficiently prepared to terminate negotiations and declare without any further equivocation his intention to continue the present government as a radical dictatorship.
I am not inclined to believe that he would be supported in any subverted program by Batista. The latter is again actively seeking a change in government. He is apprehensive because of his knowledge of the movement within the Army directed against himself and inspired by Dr. Guiteras, Secretary of the Interior. He likewise fears constant attempts at revolution which he realizes are inevitable and he is particularly afraid of the possibility of intervention by the United States. I have reason to believe from messages he has sent me [Page 533] during the past 2 days that he will again try to rally support within the portion of the Army sincerely loyal to him in favor of the overthrow of Grau and his replacement by some nationalist acceptable to all elements such as Mendieta or Miguel Mariano Gómez. Mendieta once more has modified his attitude and is now permitting it to be generally known that he will accept the Presidency should all parties again request him to do so.