837.61351/2962: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Cuba ( Briggs )

237. Your despatch no. 3805 of April 10, 1942,99 and other communications. The interested agencies of this Government, as you are aware, have been engaged in a careful examination of the supply, demand and distribution aspects of sugar and molasses. The number of variable and unpredictable factors which may affect sugar in 1943 make it extremely difficult to determine, with any degree of precision, the quantity of sugar which may be required by the United States from the next Cuban sugar crop.

Nevertheless, in view of the request of the Cuban Government for an indication of our probable requirements, and in recognition of the importance of the question to Cuba, an effort has been made to form an estimate which would be of assistance to the Cuban Government. After a careful evaluation of the determining factors including: (1) the extremely uncertain shipping situation; (2) the size of the 1942 Cuban crop and possible stocks remaining in Cuba at the end of this year; and (3) estimated requirements for consumption of United States and other United Nations; it has been concluded that, out of the 1943 Cuban crop, not more than 3,600,000 short tons of sugar (raw equivalent) will be needed to meet anticipated requirements of the United States and other United Nations to which supplies of sugar may be made available by the United States. This includes all forms of sugar (i.e., raw and direct-consumption sugars and molasses for human consumption and other uses) and does not of course include Cuban requirements for sugar and alcohol.

You are requested to communicate the foregoing officially to the Cuban Government.

[Page 325]

At the same time, you should say informally that, although it is of course even more difficult to appraise the possible requirements for sugar from the 1944 crop, at the present time it does not appear that the basic conditions affecting the requirements for sugar from that crop are likely to be substantially different from those affecting 1943 crop requirements.

Hull
  1. Not printed.