856B.20/80
The Secretary of State to the Venezuelan Ambassador ( Escalante )
Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge Your Excellency’s note no. 757 of February 10, 1942 with reference to the urgent war measure taken by my Government for the security of the refineries in the Netherlands colony of Curaçao by invitation Of and in agreement with the Royal Netherlands Government. I have taken note with pleasure of your observations on the agreement reached between Your Excellency and the Royal Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs now in the United States with respect to Venezuelan cooperation in the military defense measaure. I have been particularly pleased to learn of the approval of the Venezuelan and Netherlands Governments of the formula for cooperation reached between Your Excellency and Mr. Van Kleffens.
With particular reference to Item 1 of your Government’s arrangement with the Netherlands Government (page 2 of your note) and to the last paragraph, I am able to inform Your Excellency that instructions are being issued to the United States Ambassador at Caracas to lend his assistance, if requested by your Government, in any discussions which may be held between your Government and the Royal Netherlands Minister to Venezuela. In this connection I think it opportune to inform you that the measures of military cooperation taken by my Government in Surinam and Curaçao at the invitation of the Netherlands [Page 77] Government have not been the subject of any written convention or agreement. I deem it furthermore expedient to observe that the stationing of United States forces in those areas is an action to meet a specific threat with a minimum disturbance to the troop dispositions of the United Nations. These troops will be withdrawn upon the termination of the emergency, and their stationing in those places in no sense affects the status of the colonies or their sovereignty.
Accept [etc.]