837.30/54
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of the Navy (Knox)
My Dear Mr. Secretary: I refer to Mr. Forrestal’s1a letter of December 5, 1942 enclosing draft of a proposed supplementary agreement for naval cooperation between the Cuban Navy and the Gulf Sea Frontier Command of the United States Navy.2 It is observed from the letter that representatives of the Cuban Navy have indicated informally their approval of the proposed agreement, and it is suggested that the draft might be discussed during the visit of President Batista3 of Cuba.
Although it was not found convenient to discuss the proposed agreement with President Batista during his stay in Washington, the draft agreement was shown to the United States Ambassador to Cuba4 last week, and he indicated his readiness to take it up with the appropriate Cuban authorities on his return to Habana, probably the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
I shall be glad to keep you informed of any developments which are reported by our Embassy at Habana.
Sincerely yours,
Under Secretary
- James V. Forrestal, Under Secretary of the Navy.↩
- Neither printed; in his letter of December 5 Mr. Forrestal explained that the enclosed draft agreement was being proposed with the purpose of effecting closer naval collaboration through the operation of a United States naval mission to Cuba and an over-all direction of Cuban naval forces by the United States Naval Commander of the Gulf Sea Frontier (Comgulf).↩
- Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar.↩
- Spruille Braden.↩