810.79611 Pan American Airways, Inc./561: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile (Culbertson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:25 p.m.]
120. Referring to my telegram number 114, July 18, 5 p.m. Discussions of the revised decree are proceeding with President, Minister [Page 570] of War, and Minister for Foreign Affairs. In the meantime other aviation interests are active:
(1) The Latécoère25 has been granted a concession to fly in Chilean territory, transporting mails, passengers and freight from and to Bolivia and Peru and from and to the United States and intermediate countries under very favorable conditions.
[Paraphrase.] An invitation has been received from the Director General of the Scadta Company, transmitted by the Chilean Minister in Colombia, for a meeting with the Director General to take place at Lima. The Chilean Director of Aviation has been appointed by the Chilean Minister of War to proceed there at once by airplane to represent the Chilean Government. [End paraphrase.]
Montgomery in behalf of the aviation group which he represents has made a proposal to the Chilean Government similar to that made by Curtiss Motor and Aeroplane Corporation. See my telegram of June 5, noon.
The local representative of Pan American-Grace Airways today cabled his principals in New York requesting authorization to propose to the Chilean Government the following: His company to deliver foreign, southbound air mail at Arica, Antofagasta and Santiago and to pay Chilean Post Office five centavos per gramme, approximately equivalent to three dollars per pound, to deliver foreign mail to intermediate points by Chilean air service. This step is in line with my suggestions that some effort be made to gratify the national ambition of the military group and to offset the efforts of other aviation interests seeking to render ineffective the international mail to [Chile?] of the Pan American-Grace Airways. I recommend that, in case the New York office requests it, the Post Office Department approve this proposal. It will not only assist directly in obtaining a satisfactory decree but it will associate international mail service directly with the local service and in the long run make the former service more secure.
Copy repeated Lima.
- Compañía General de Empresas Aeronauticas, Lineas Latécoère.↩