from the Navy Department containing a tentative plan for a Navy
and Marine Corps Mission. If you believe that this should now be
abandoned and the Navy Department so informed, will you please
let me know.
  I have been told that the War and Navy Departments have been
giving consideration to your recommendation for the establishment
of the joint Cuban-United States defense commission. In so far,
however, as I have been able to ascertain, the President has not yet
mentioned this matter to General Marshall .7 You intimated to me
that the President intended to do this.
  Walmsley 8 and I would be glad to handle such aspects of these
matters as you may suggest.
  With best wishes to Marion and you,
      Sincerely yours,                            ORME WILSON


811.34537/358
The Ambas8ador in Cuba (Mes8ersmith) to the Secretary of State

No. 3355                               HABANA, January 28, 1942.
                                          [Received January 30.]
  SIR: I have the honor to inform the Department that during a
conversation this morning with the Minister of State, Dr. Cortina, we
discussed the establishment of the Cuban military zone complementary
to our naval base at Guantanamo. The Minister said that he had the
last draft before him, and it had had his study and he was about to
clear it with President Batista. He expressed the hope that it would
be possible to complete the arrangements for the establishment of
the Cuban zone before my departure on February 7. I took this oc-
casion to impress upon the Minister the desirability of progress on
this matter. The Minister said that he had not been pressing the
matter himself as he felt that we had not shown much interest therein
recently, or at least that our Navy Department had not shown much
interest therein. He said that he and I had given considerable study
to this matter with the desire to reach a conclusion, but that the Navy
Department had always been slower than the Cuban Government in
acting on the various drafts. I told the Minister that I thought he
was under a misapprehension with regard to the degree of interest of
our Government and of the Navy Department, and that I hoped he
would clear this matter with President Batista and his colleagues in
the Cabinet before my departure for my new post. He said that he
would make every effort to do so.
  Respectfully yours,                    GEORGE S. MESSERSMITH

  'Gen. George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army.
  ' Walter N. Walmsley, Jr., Assistant Chief, Division of the American Republics.



255



CUBA