Evening star., 1933-09-07
ARMADA Off CUBA
|. NCLUDES1bOATS
Dispatch of Is Destroyers In.
creases Fleet Strength,
Effect Wholesome.
tocntlnued FROM FIRST pase.)

ranking odacer In Cuban waters The
vessels, BIS feet In length, are capable
Of 2 speed Of from 30 to - knots an
They are the George Z. Badger,
Herndon, 6emmes and Welborn G..
Wood, al out Of New London; the
Hunt, wainwright. wilkes and Abel p.
Upshur, al out Of New York.
-Four Coast Guard cutters were ordered
to is...es Cuba yesterday from Southern
As to the regular Navy ships, Admiral
william H. STANDBY, chief Of opera
ti0ns, instructed these. which had been
cruising with Naval Reservists, to dis
embark them Immediately and take on
their full compliments Of regular ON
GERS and men.
Marines Ready u Go.
Meanwhile, more than 1000 United
States Marines were mobilized at the
7th Regiment at nearby Quantico. Va.
Equipped as an expeditionary force,
they were prepared for immediate move
ment.
Admiral standley ordered the de-
stroyers Claxton, Taylor. Cole and Ber-
nadou to proceed at once to New York
to disembark the Naval Reservists on
board. The destroyer Hamilton was
ordered to the Washington Navy Yard
for the same purpose, the Fairfax to
BRIDGEPORT and later TO the Philadelphia
Navy Yard, the Ellis to White Stone.
Long Island. and the Dupont to the
Boston Navy Yard.
President Roosevelt, In IN unprece-
dented move late yesterday, had called
diplomats Of leading LAtin-American
nations to his desk TO tell them Of his
fears and hopes, his extreme reluctance
to intervene.
He indicated that II q government
capable Of ruling Cuba could be con-
stituted quickly before some nervous
trigger finger sets loose . confiaSrstion.
the vexing question OF Intervention
would vanish Of itself.
Other Nations Informed.
The gist of the Presidents views, ex-
pressed in calm and quiet converse with
the envoys Of Argentina, Brazil. Chile
and Mexico, was later laid before the
representatives Of the rest Of Latin
America through Secretary Of State
Hull in line with the Administrations
policy Of frank cooperation.
For more information on the threat
ening conditions in Cuba. the President
looked to Havana, where Ambassador
Sumner Welles worked day and night.
rive tomorrow.
The presence Of the cabinet member
will give the President the benefit Of
the Judgment Of two trusted advisors
instead of one, although Swanson wire
lessed back Q denial that his visit had
special significance, insisting he was
stopping OF on Q trip to the West
coast only to visit with" Welles at
Havana. .ss
swanson's statement follows In full:
"A wholly erroneous Interpretation
has been given to my trip. This trip to
the West coast was planned. Is every
ONE knows. Q month ago. No one at
that time expected . second revolution
In Cuba.
Had Roosevelt Approval.
II had told Ambassador Welles, when
the trip was first planned. that would
drop In and visit with him In Ha-
vana II could. During my conversation
with the President today he told me he
saw no reason why should not carry
out the original plans for the trip.
II have not been ordered to Havana.
II am carrying no instructions to
Ambassador Welles or any one else. The
Cuban situation will continue to be
handled from Washington by the
President"
Fisuratively. eyes throughout Latin
America were turned to Washington,
perhaps with many brows raised in
expectation Of intervention and as
though getting ready to give an Il told
you so" look. Mr.. Roosevelt appar-
emily chose to look the lockers in the
eye and tell them in effect that If in
tervention does come, 1t will only be
with extreme reluctance.
While doing the telling, he has kept
his finger TO the Cuban pulse. Should
the pulse beat at too hot heat. should
WelleS signal that foreign life and
property are threatened, then would
have to come that decision fraught with
20 much significance.
Made Course sesn.
There was no saying for certain that
Intervention would be resorted to. even
then. Present chances appear to favor
situation, 20 far as the over 26O, 900
foreigners were concerned, leaving
Cuban affairs strictly to their own
people.
But the administration frankly feared
for the safety Of the Thousands Of
United States citizens In the island,
IS well as the billion dollars Of Ameri-
can capital invested there.
Far-reaching responsibilities were In
volved In Intervention, Q right con-
ferred on the United States by the
treaty which granted Cuba its inde-
pendence after the Spanbh-AmericAn
War. It was exercised only once, un-
der the Theodore Roosevelt administra-
tion In 1906 to 1909.
Loss Of Lives Feared.
Marines or troops, once landed, might
have to stay for months or even years,
e. that experience showed. Almost In
evitably, Intervention would mean the
loss Of some American lives.
In money, too, the cost would be con-
siderable.
Beyond and behind al this II the dan
ger that the action might be miscon-
strued among the other nations Of Lat
In America and . blight cast over the
entire Roosevelt foreign policy with it,
- =