Already since July of 1913 articles appeared in the American press, informing that Jose Raoul Capablanca was employed by the Foreign Office of Cuba, so the Cuban Consulate at St. Petersburg to be staffed. A consulate that, as it was written, was newly founded. His new duties were described as attached with his chess skill and possible future chess matches, possibly taking in account an upcoming great tournament at St. Petersburg. Probably he was chosen to be used as some kind of a Goodwill Ambassador of Cuba in Europe [check American Chess Bulletin, 1913, 250, Evening star of Jul 13, 1913, New-York tribune of Jul 04, 1913, The San Francisco call of Jul 20, 1913].

On Oct 2, he left New York on the steamship Kaiserin Auguste Victoria for Europe. First big stop was at London...