أوراق مطبوعة عن الوضع السياسي والسياسة العسكرية في مصر [ظ‎‎٢‎٥] (١٧٦/٥٠)

2
stations in Cuba should never be used as vantage points for intervention in Cuba, but
solely for defence against foreign aggression; that intervention in Cuba should not
be made without the “ formal action of the United States ” ; that Cuba should be free
to make any political and mercantile treaties, so long as they did not amount to
alliances impairing her independence; that Cuba need not necessarily maintain the
system of sanitation already established by the United States, but merely such a
system as might thereafter be mutually agreed upon; and that, in the opinion of
Cuba, the Isle of Pines belonged to that Republic. All this was unsatisfactory and
unacceptable to the United States, and the Cuban Convention was promptly so
informed. It was explained that the Platt Amendment was an Act of Congress,
which the executive branch of the Government could not modify in any way, but
which it must enforce just as it stood. Accordingly, on the 12th June, the Convention
by a vote of 16 to 11 added to the constitution of the Cuban Republic “ the full text of
“the Platt Amendment without any change or qualification whatever.”
The following American comments by the Professor of the History of American
Foreign Relations in New York University are interesting :—
“The logic of this imposition of American conditions upon Cuba was
“perfectly simple. For many vears this country had exercised a virtual pro-
“ tectorate over Cuba as a Spanish province in the interest of Spain ; and it was
“only reasonable that it should continue the same degree of protection over it
“as an autonomous republic. It had assumed and maintained that attitude,
“of course, for the sake of our owm welfare; and that welfare demanded that
“the same attitude should be continued. It had, finally, fought a costly war
“ for the sake of giving Cuba good government; and it would have been
“incredibly and unpardonably foolish if it h : ?d failed to safeguard the results
“of that war against impairment or relapse. It was an act of gratuitous
“generosity on the part of this country, any way, that it adopted that pledge of
“self-abnegation and refrained from taking Cuba as the spoils of war, as any
“other nation would have done. Once taken, that pledge had to be fulfilled,
“as it was. But fulfilment of it did not mean abandonment of our long-
established policy and reversal of a fundamental principle of the nation.”
Admiralty, September 28, 1923.