720.022/10–3053
The Secretary of Defense (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: Reference is made to a letter from your Department dated 4 August 19531 signed by the Deputy Under Secretary of State, Mr. H. Freeman Matthews, concerning the United States Mapping Program in Latin America.
The continued concern and support of the Mapping Program by the Department of State and its various embassies is greatly appreciated. This program is under constant surveillance within the Department of Defense, and every practicable effort consistent with Defense requirements, other world-wide obligations and budgetary limitations have and will be made to fulfill our obligations to each of the Latin American countries with whom bilateral mapping and charting agreements exist. It is also the desire of the Department of Defense to faithfully fulfill these bilateral commitments.
Analysis of the Mapping Program progress reports reveals that excellent progress in all ground phases of the program has been made since 1950. While some aerial photography has been accomplished and practically all that has been taken delivered since 1950, this phase of the program and the dependent topographic mapping program have suffered due to other high priority projects throughout the world. The demands of the Korean War precluded accomplishment of mapping projects in Latin America that had otherwise been planned.
The limited aerial photography equipment available to the Air Force has precluded aerial photography of low priority projects since 1949. You may be assured, however, that every effort will be made to provide aerial photography for the United States-Latin American Mapping Program consistent with equipment availability and priority of the project.
A similar situation has also existed with regard to Department of Navy capability in the areas. However, during the first three months of 1953, a naval photographic detachment operated in various parts of Central and South America, and it is planned to continue this operation during the period of January–March 1954 in Central America, the Dutch West Indies and the Lesser Antilles.
[Page 164]To supplement the capabilities of the Air Force and Navy, the Department of the Army has budgeted funds for commercial air photography and is now in the process of contracting for aerial mapping of northern Venezuela and the northern and western portions of Colombia.
This Department concurs with your position that the existing agreements should not be renegotiated at this time.2
Sincerely yours,
- In the referenced letter, Mr. Matthews stated in part that the completion of the bilateral mapping program cooperatively developed with 17 of the Latin American countries “is important to western hemisphere defense planning for which it was undertaken, as well as to economic development programs in Latin America in which the United States is participating and to our political relations with Latin American countries.” Mr. Matthews further stated that the fulfillment of U.S. commitments under the mapping agreements would help to demonstrate to the Latin American countries “the importance which the United States attaches to them and to their continuing cooperation with and assistance to the other nations of the free world.” (720.022/8–453)↩
- In a memorandum to Norman M. Pearson, dated Nov. 9, 1953, Mr. Sayre stated in part that this letter from the Department of Defense “is somewhat of an assurance that a little more will be done than before. I do not think we need do anything in the nature of a reply but we may have to ‘go to bat’ again if the Latin Americans continue to be dissatisfied about the long delay in fulfilling these commitments.” (720.022/10–3053)↩