810.154/1212
The Secretary of Agriculture (Wallace) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: The program of projects undertaken between this Government and the Central American Governments for the improvement of the Inter-American Highway has now advanced to the point of completion that makes it necessary to decide upon the immediate future operations.
There are fourteen of these projects. Eleven provide for the building of bridges in the five countries and these will be completed in September and October. The other three are road projects in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala. It is expected that the road projects will continue for two or three months longer. These are in the nature of demonstration examples of road construction designed to organize into efficient road building units the native workmen, using road building equipment from the United States.
The $1,000,000 made available to the President in the Emergency Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1935, for cooperation with several Governments in the improvement of the Inter-American Highway, has been exhausted by the obligations and actual expenditures for the approved program so that no new major projects can be undertaken.
The reconnaissance survey began in 1930. The organization of engineers maintained by the Bureau of Public Roads, representing the United States, and the Highway Departments of the Central American countries, have been working in cooperation since then, first on the surveys, and now on actual improvement projects. Through these years, all the cooperative operations have been characterized by harmony and good will.
We have requests from several of the Governments to add important projects to the programs which must be denied unless we have additional funds.
I feel it is essential that we do not lose, by failure now to provide additional funds in a very moderate amount, the momentum of interest and real action that has taken seven years to build. The balance of funds available will not permit the maintenance of the engineering organization and the central engineering office at San José for more than a few months longer. It is necessary, therefore, that we either have additional funds now or the assurance from the President of his desire to continue the work and to recommend further financial support. I am therefore requesting that you join with me in submitting recommendations to the President as provided in the attached proposed communication.
[Page 190]If you are in agreement, I suggest that the attached letter22 be submitted as a joint recommendation of the Department of State and the Department of Agriculture.
Sincerely yours,