File No. 837.00/637.
[Untitled]
Habana, May 24, 1912.
Sir: Referring to previous correspondence in regard to the present negro uprising, and as a matter of record, I have the honor to report as follows: * * *
From the beginning of the movement I have been in close touch with the representatives of American companies in the disaffected districts and have, whenever there was any cause for alarm, applied to the Cuban Government for military protection. On the 22d instant, on learning of the fears of various American companies in Oriente Province, I deemed it advisable to call upon Mr. Sanguily [Secretary of State] to discuss the entire situation in an informal and friendly way. While applying for protection for the Juraguá Iron Co. I told Mr. Sanguily that my representations on behalf of this and other American companies should not be considered in the nature of complaints; that I felt and was confident that he also realized that the interests of the American and Cuban Governments were identical in the present crisis; and that the American Government was just as anxious as that of Cuba to avoid the necessity for an intervention. I went on to point out that the greatest danger now lay in possible failure to afford adequate protection to foreign lives and property, which might readily cause pressure to be brought upon the American Government by other foreign Governments to [Page 247] bring about an intervention for the benefit of their national interests. I went on to say that, although there had as yet been apparently no failure on the part of the Cuban Government to discharge its obligations in this regard, I deemed it the part of true friendship to point out this possible danger to the maintenance of Cuban independence and urged him to exercise every effort to avoid complications.
Mr. Sanguily expressed himself as thoroughly understanding and sincerely appreciating the force and spirit of my remarks, with which he said that he fully agreed. He informed me that he would go immediately to the Palace and make clear to the President the vital necessity for exercising every possible effort to protect foreign property, urging him personally to issue instructions in harmony with the ideas expressed by me. While I had no instructions from the Department authorizing me to make such representations, I felt confident that I was stating elementary truths which were in complete harmony with the desires of the Department.
As a result of Mr. Sanguily’s interview with the President a body of 180 troops was despatched to the various properties of the Juraguá Iron Co., and the officer in command in Oriente Province was directed to despatch small forces to the various foreign properties throughout the district and at the same time to arm their employees so that they might defend themselves if attacked. I am informed that these instructions were promptly obeyed.
The sending of the Prairie, Paducah, and Nashville to Guantánamo has made a very good impression here, and both the President and Mr. Sanguily express themselves as gratified by our action in the matter. It is difficult, to say, however, what moral effect the presence of these ships will have upon the irresponsible negroes, who are unlikely to be greatly concerned over the possible consequence of their actions. * * * Aside from the fact that we have been unable to form an accurate estimate of the strength and extent of this movement, its most remarkable characteristic is that there is no definite knowledge of its real purpose. There are various theories advanced to account for the movement. The most prevalent belief is that the movement was initiated for the express purpose of provoking an American intervention for the benefit of various interests which believed that they would profit by a change of government. A movement aimed at provoking intervention would naturally devote its first efforts to the destruction of foreign property, but, as I have already reported, very little has been done in this direction. * * *
In summing up the situation I can not go further than to say that it would seem evident that the present movement is organized and directed by some unknown interest, it being highly improbable that the negroes at the head of the Independent Colored Party would be capable of engineering a movement on this scale. The negroes now in revolt are of a very ignorant class, and, although it may or may not be the intention of their leaders to attack foreigners and destroy their property, it would at any time require only a well-conceived appeal to their prejudices or cupidity to precipitate serious disorders. Although it is still impossible to make any predictions as to the future, I feel that our Government has acted most wisely in sending forces to Guantánamo in anticipation of possible eventualities.
I have [etc.],