810.154/626
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Mexico ( Daniels )
Sir: I enclose herewith two copies of a letter dated August 20, 1934, from the Honorable W. R. Gregg, Acting Secretary of Agriculture,7 in which he invites attention to the fact that Congress has recently appropriated $1,000,000 to enable this Government to render assistance in connection with the survey and construction of the proposed Inter-American Highway and has authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to expend $75,000 in continuing surveys already begun. The Acting Secretary of Agriculture points out the desirability of enlisting the cooperation of the Mexican Government in furtherance of the project and requests that an effort be made to ascertain whether that Government would be interested in joining the United States, the five Central American Governments and Panama in reorganizing the Inter-American Highway Commission and in being represented thereon, in order [Page 473] that consideration may be given to the possibility of holding a general meeting of the reorganized Commission at an early date to consider and to plan further work on the project.
You are accordingly requested to take up this matter with the Mexican Minister for Foreign Affairs on the basis of the information contained in the letter from the Department of Agriculture and request Dr. Puig to advise you at as early a date as may be convenient of the Mexican Government’s views in the premises. In case you deem it advisable to do so, you may furnish Dr. Puig with a copy of Mr. Gregg’s letter. I am hopeful that the Mexican Government may see its way clear to join in the proposal to reorganize the Commission and be represented thereon and shall await your reply to this instruction with a great deal of interest.
In this connection I enclose two copies of a statement which the Department released on June 22, 1934, for publication in the press of the following day,8 with regard to the construction of the Inter-American Highway, in which particular reference is made to the Mexican sections thereof. You may desire to furnish Dr. Puig with a copy of this statement for his information.
Very truly yours,