810.20 Defense/1017: Telegram
The Ambassador in Colombia (Braden) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 3—10:17 p.m.]
245. For the Under Secretary. With further reference to my telegram No. 242 of July 1, I did not pursue with Santos formalization of staff agreements for ratification by Congress since I consider it preferable for us to hand him our own drafts for exchange of notes (as indicated in section B of my telegram No. 178 of May 29, 194130) rather than to take as a basis the Minister of Foreign Relations’ drafts when presented.
You will observe that although Santos reversed himself as I had feared … the conversation nevertheless served to clarify his position so that we now have better idea of where we stand at the moment.
The conversation has had the added advantage of for the time being at least obviating Santos agitating for a consultative conference of [Page 15] Foreign Ministers which from your telegram number 17 [171?]31 appears presently undesirable.
The most valuable result of talk is in my view the fact that while formerly I could not properly bring up with Santos or others the subject of bases it has now been placed on the table by Urdaneta in a manner which enables me at any time our Government so desires, to reopen the question without embarrassment.