810.20 Defense/1828
The American Minister in Ecuador ( Long ) to the Ecuadoran Minister for Foreign Affairs ( Tobar Donoso )31
Excellency: I have the honor to inform Your Excellency that I have received a communication from my Government, in which reference is made to Resolution No. 15 adopted at the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the American republics held in Habana,32 in which it is provided that in the event of aggression by a non-American nation against an American nation “all the signatory nations or two or more of them, according to circumstances, shall proceed to negotiate the necessary complementary agreements so as to organize cooperation for defense and the assistance that they shall lend each other”.
It is the opinion of my Government that the situation contemplated under Resolution No. 15 has now arisen and it is consequently its desire to reach an agreement with Your Excellency’s Government on certain measures of military cooperation.
It is therefore hoped that it will be satisfactory to Your Excellency’s Government to give its agreement to the following measures:
- 1.
- Authorization for military airplanes of the United States to fly over and land on Ecuadoran soil without restriction regarding the type or number of planes or the armament or personnel on board. [Page 269] Wherever possible, prior notification would be given directly to the airport at which landings were contemplated.
- 2.
- Authorization for the use of airports in Ecuador, including airport facilities, such as, telephones, repair shops, radio, et cetera.
- 3.
- Authorization for the assignment to Ecuador of groups of fifteen United States Air Corps technicians, each composed of seven non-commissioned officers and eight privates, for the purpose of facilitating flights of United States military planes.
- 4.
- Authorization for the free movement within Ecuador of uniformed military personnel, with or without arms, which may be necessary or desirable in connection with servicing of aircraft, transmitting and receiving necessary communications, and the housing and feeding (at the expense of the United States Government) of military personnel. This would include permission to use roads and highways adjacent to airports.
- 5.
- Authorization to take aerial photographs of Ecuadoran territory when necessary or desirable for the compilation of air navigation charts. In that connection it is understood that information obtained in this way would be made available to the Ecuadoran armed forces as promptly as possible.
My Government has expressed its confident belief that there will be the fullest measure of cooperation between the armed forces of our respective countries for the attainment of the objectives contemplated by the agreement which I have the honor to propose in this communication.
I should greatly appreciate receiving at as early a time as possible the views of Your Excellency’s Government with regard to the proposed agreement.
Please accept [etc.]