412. Memorandum of a Conference With the President, White House, Washington, October 6, 1956, 2:30 p.m.1
OTHERS PRESENT
- Acting Secretary Reuben Robertson
- Assistant Secretary Gordon Gray
- Admiral Radford
- Assistant Secretary Walter Robertson
- Mr. Karl Bendetsen
- Colonel Goodpaster
The meeting was concerned with the subject of Mr. Bendetsen’s negotiations with the Philippines concerning U.S. bases and base rights in that country. The President asked Mr. Bendetsen for his assessment of what the Filipinos were seeking.
Mr. Bendetsen said that the principal problems as shaping up relate to jurisdiction over personnel, duration of the agreement, customs controls, and acquisition of additional land. The Filipinos have seen that the United States has concluded agreements with other countries on terms more favorable to those countries than have been offered to the Filipinos. Their approach has been one of hard bargaining throughout these negotiations.
In response to a question by the President as to what additional land is being sought, Admiral Radford said that the problem arises with regard to the delineation of the boundaries both at Subic Bay and in the Clark Field–Stotsenburg area. Definite, agreed boundaries for the reservations do not exist, and the Filipinos are considering the process of establishing such boundaries as “land acquisition.” The President expressed himself in favor, and all present concurred, of giving up all other base areas in the Philippines (retaining in some cases rights of access in case of emergency). Facilities in Manila and Sangley Point were specifically mentioned.
With regard to the problem of customs, Mr. Bendetsen said it is planned for us to cut down drastically on the number of PX cards in the hands of Filipinos (former members of the Philippine Scouts, and widows of Scouts in some cases, still hold such cards).
[Page 689]On the matter of duration of the agreement, Mr. Bendetsen said that the Philippine Constitution, although not completely clear on the point, may render invalid any agreement for more than twenty-five years. The President thought the matter of duration might be tied to the present world situation, with provision for renegotiation in event of a major favorable change. He thought it also might be tied to the duration of our trade agreement which gives special advantages to the Philippines. (Others present pointed out that it has not been considered too desirable to take the position of “buying” base concessions with unrelated concessions by the United States.) The President felt that it would be best to try to handle the base question as one “package” in light of the way the Filipinos are reportedly conducting the negotiations (they have a negotiating committee from the Congress, and as one point is conceded by the U.S. team, more are raised by the Filipinos). Secretary Walter Robertson said that he felt there has now been worked out on the U.S. side what looks to be a satisfactory packet for Mr. Bendetsen to present to the Filipinos.
The President said he felt we should definitely get out of the Manila port and city area, and thus remove an irritation to the Filipinos. He felt Magsaysay should be told that we want to work together cooperatively for mutual benefit security-wise and economically, but with a clear understanding that if the Filipinos do not think that cooperation with us is to their advantage, we are prepared to terminate our base agreements and trade concessions.
There was discussion as to the handling of the base agreement with the Congress. Walter Robertson considered that appropriate Congressional authorities should be contacted and kept informed at the present time. The President said he would think that the negotiations should be subject to approval in accordance with Constitutional procedures of the two countries, and indicated that he would see advantage in formalizing the agreement as a treaty or executive agreement.
The President signed a letter to Magsaysay recommended to him by Secretary Reuben Robertson, who stated that Secretary Dulles concurred.2
Colonel CE, US Army
Addendum: On the matter of jurisdiction over personnel, there was general discussion and indicated agreement concerning the desirability of adhering as closely as possible to the arrangements else-where [Page 690] in the world; otherwise continuing competition by countries, concerned must be expected.