Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, The Western Hemisphere, Volume IX

710.001/7–948

Memorandum by the United States Representative, Governing Board, Pan American Union (Dawson) to the Director of the Office of American Republic Affairs (Daniels)

confidential

[Washington,] July 9, 1948.

Subject: Dominican Concern Over Alleged Threats: Indications That Dominican Government Again Contemplates Recourse to Committee of Five

While waiting for a committee meeting at the PAU this morning, I had a conversation with Lleras and Quintanilla¹ which is of interest in connection with recent evidences of concern on the part of the Dominican Government.

Quintanilla remarked that yesterday afternoon the Mexican Foreign Office had telephoned him to inquire as to any new developments with respect to the setting up of the Committee of Five provided for in Resolution XIV of the Habana Consultative Meeting. It will be recalled that steps looking towards the calling into being of this Committee were taken last summer by the Dominican Government² which then failed to pursue the matter.

Quintanilla infers that yesterday’s telephone call from Mexico City is the result of some conversation had with the Mexican Foreign Office by the Dominican representative there.

Lleras told us that the Dominican Representative on the COAS (Salazar) had called on him yesterday and had requested that the Committee be set up. Lleras was under the impression that the Dominicans once again want the Committee of Five brought into being and into action in order to lay their case before it. Quintanilla said however that in a talk with Salazar he (Quintanilla) had cautioned against bringing charges without possessing “proofs” and that from Salazar’s remarks he had the impression that, while the Dominicans do want the Committee of Five set up, they have not yet definitely decided to take their case before it.

Lleras indicated that in the circumstances before taking any further steps he will talk again with Salazar in order to ascertain whether the Dominican request to him involves merely the “constitution” of the Committee of Five or its setting up for a specific purpose. The Committee of Five would include representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, and the U.S. The procedure contemplated last summer and which would, I presume, be followed now would be for Lleras to request the five Governments concerned to designate their representatives.

1. Luis Quintanilla, Mexican Ambassador in the United States; Mexican Representative on the Governing Board of the Pan American Union.
2. See memorandum of conversation of September 15, 1947 of Assistant Secretary Armour with the Dominican Ambassador Ortega Frier, in Foreign Relations, 1947, vol. viii, p. 654.