822.151/64
The Ecuadoran Ambassador (Alfaro) to the Acting Secretary of State
Mr. Secretary: I have instructions from my Government to request—as I hereby do, availing myself of Your Excellency’s worthy intermediary—a loan from the Export-Import Bank of Washington [Page 300] intended to provide potable water for the city of Quito, the capital of the Republic of Ecuador.
The importance and various aspects of the work are clearly apparent from the report of the American expert Mr. Frank E. De Martini, which report is with the Export-Import Bank of Washington.
The Quito [Municipal]4 Council plans to entrust the work to the American concern of Nick F. Helmers, Inc., of New York, which has already made studies for the purpose and drawn up the draft budget5 which I enclose with this note. It amounts to [$]1,297,085.87, a sum which it is planned to finance completely by means of the loan which I request.
The enclosed memorandum5 contains a report on the funds assigned to provide potable water with which the loan requested will be amortized.
Requesting Your Excellency to be good enough to transmit this request to the Export-Import Bank of Washington, I beg to urge that it be favorably recommended, as it involves a project indispensable to the health of the Ecuadoran city.
I express my thanks in advance for the attention which Your Excellency will take the trouble to give this note and I renew [etc.]