810.79611 Pan American Airways, Inc./102
The Assistant Secretary of State (White) to the Counselor of Embassy in Cuba (Curtis)
Dear Curtis: Mr. Juan Trippe, President of the Pan American Airways, Incorporated, who were given last week the contract for ten years by the Post Office Department to carry the mails from Key West to Panama and also have a contract in Cuba for carrying international mails to Santiago, and who have bid for the contract from our Post Office Department to carry the mails from Key West to Porto Rico, advises me that certain German interests are now endeavoring to obtain a concession in Cuba to carry the Cuban domestic mails throughout the Island. Mr. Trippe states that his company wants to undertake this work and feels that with their international organization they will be able to render better and cheaper service than a company that is carrying just the domestic mails. The matter is up with Señor Sanchez Aballi, Secretary of Communications, and Mr. Trippe has asked me to ask you to pass on the word to Señor Sanchez that they are anxious to do the work and hope that the Cuban Government will not give the Germans the contract until they have had a chance to make them a proposition.
We are most anxious here to have American aviation as prominent as possible in the Caribbean region and for that reason this Department [Page 788] did everything possible to favor the bill that was enacted by Congress at its last session authorizing the Post Office Department to give subventions for the carrying of air mail in the Caribbean region. The Pan American Airways is a hundred per cent American owned and managed company and for that reason we would be glad to see it, rather than Germans, have the contract in Cuba. The next time you see Sanchez or, if you do not see him shortly, if you could arrange to see him soon and pass this word on to him, I think it would be beneficial. I understand that Sanchez would rather give the concession to the Pan American Airways in any event and if he knows that they will undertake the work I think that he will keep it open for them.
Yours very sincerely,