710 Conference W and PW/1–3145: Telegram
The Ambassador in Ecuador ( Scotten ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:15 p.m.]
89. Bis. The Minister informed me on January 24, as I reported in a personal letter to James Wright39 that he intends to discuss the Galápagos and Salinas negotiations40 with our delegation at Mexico City. These discussions will obviously include compensation for the bases. I cannot, of course, predict how specific the Ecuadoran delegation will be but I believe it safe to say they will sound out our delegation as to how far we are prepared to go toward a general development plan including highways, port facilities, et cetera. The request may well be based on the Estrada41 plan or a modified plan drafted by the Minister of Economy42 a copy of which, however, has not yet been made available to the Embassy. I think it entirely possible that lend lease matters will be broached. The Chiefs of our Army, Navy and Air Missions inform me that the requests for lend lease aid for these different branches have already been submitted to Washington and are presumably on file with the War and Navy Departments there. They do not believe that any additional requests for lend lease aid will be made but they do feel that those already on file may well be actively pressed at Mexico City.
I do not believe that any project for health, sanitation or education will be broached as these matters have been well taken care of recently.
As indicated in the Embassy’s airgrams A–9, January 9, A–14, January 18 and A–22, January 23,44 the Ecuadoran Government [Page 23] is very anxious to receive trucks for highway and agricultural projects. The Government also desires tractors and agricultural equipment as yet not requested. In view of pending projects requests for priorities and assistance in obtaining prompt deliveries of these articles may be made to our delegation in Mexico City.
A request for shipping facilities for sugar from Cuba may well be stressed if the negotiations now under way are not concluded before the conference.
- Chief, Division of North and West Coast Affairs.↩
- See documentation on Ecuadoran defense problems, pp. 1007 ff.↩
- Victor Emilio Estrada, prominent banker, visited Washington in September 1944 to discuss financial matters as a personal representative of the Ecuadoran President.↩
- Luis Eduardo Laso.↩
- None printed.↩