810.20 Defense/8–2740: Telegram
The Ambassador in Venezuela ( Corrigan ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:05 p.m.]
126. Colonel Randolph’s conversations with the staff of the Venezuelan Army, begun on August 16, were completed August 24.52 Satisfactory agreements covering Agenda of State and War Departments were signed by conferees at 6 p.m., August 26, after approval by Minister of War and Marine and by the President of Venezuela. Staff conversations proceeded slowly, primarily because Venezuelan representatives are apprehensive of the employment in Venezuela of our land forces and because of the failure to date of Venezuelan authorities to receive timely and definite replies to their inquiries relating to purchase in the United States of certain categories of war materials which the Venezuelan Government believes to be absolutely essential [Page 179] to permit the preparation of the Venezuelan Army to perform its part in providing adequate defense of its own territory in cooperation with our naval and air forces which are looked upon as vital to the defense of Venezuela and of the entire hemisphere and which forces are accepted without reservation.
The first difficulty was overcome partially at least by Colonel Randolph’s explanation first to the Ministry of Marine and War, and later to the President in private interviews that the effective and continuous operation of air and naval forces can be assured only when the land bases and establishments of those forces are adequately protected by properly organized, trained, and equipped ground forces. It was further explained by Colonel Randolph that limitations of time factors and manufacturing facilities made extremely problematical preparation of the Venezuelan ground forces to meet these requirements in entirety in which case the use of our ground forces to supplement or reinforce Venezuelan forces might be not only necessary but vital to the defense of Venezuela. While these officials agreed with these views and withdrew their objection to the use of our ground troops there still exists a general antipathy towards the use of foreign ground troops in this country which should not be overlooked in future negotiations.
The second difficulty was counteracted by Colonel Randolph’s explanation of our requirement and production problems and of the efforts our Government is making to solve these problems and to facilitate the purchase in the United States by the American Republics of war material insofar as we are able to do so. General Medina who has recently returned from the United States, promptly recognized and accepted the situation but urged that the Venezuelan Government be given the necessary information upon which to base their estimates, budgets and requests, which he assured would be held to an absolute minimum not only to cooperate with us in this respect but also to conform to the budgetary policies of the President which are based primarily on the economic improvement and development of Venezuela.
Permit me to suggest that a personal letter from General Marshall53 to General Medina confirming Colonel Randolph’s explanations in these respects would be timely and would tend to reassure this Government of our sincerity and determination.