La Paz Embassy Files, 851A
The Bolivian Minister for Foreign Affairs ( Anze Matienzo ) to the Under Secretary of State ( Welles )
Dear Mr. Welles: I take pleasure in enclosing the Spanish text of the Agreement63 which we reached during our conversations on the procedure for rendering the financial and technical assistance which the Government of the United States undertakes to furnish to the Government of Bolivia for the purpose of developing Bolivian mining and other industries, agriculture, and systems of transportation.
Although the Agreement, dated today, does not mention the problem of monetary stabilization in Bolivia, I understand that this problem will be considered in due course, in conformity with the pertinent paragraph of the Memorandum of the Department of State dated August 1, 1941,64 fully accepted by my Government.
I also understand that, as soon as the execution of any communications or agricultural project and the form of assistance for mining are agreed upon, the Government of the United States will make such arrangements as may be advisable to supply promptly sufficient amount of the necessary materials which are to be acquired in the United States.
The Agreement confirms the desire of the Parties to solve the problem of communications between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz as [Page 595] soon as the Bolivian corporation mentioned in paragraphs 2 et seq. thereof is established. You are very well aware of the necessity of solving this problem and the statements which you were good enough to make to me with respect to the matter assure me that the necessary work will be begun in a short time.
It is understood, in my opinion, that the fact that the amount of 25 million dollars is allocated for the capital of the corporation that is the subject of the Agreement does not limit to that amount the development program and I do not doubt that the results of the initial operations of the corporation will be so satisfactory that new credit contracts may be concluded with the Export-Import Bank of Washington, since the idea of a plan for long-term cooperation referred to in the aforesaid Memorandum of August 1, 1941 may be correctly interpreted only in this manner.
It has given me very great satisfaction to enter into this first Agreement with you and thus create new opportunities in the field of relations between Bolivia and the United States. Consequently, I have the honor to express my appreciation for the noble spirit of understanding and friendship manifested by you at all times and to make known to you how confident I am that, in the future, agreements of greater promise will be concluded between our two countries for their mutual advantage and benefit.
I avail myself [etc.]
- Supplied by the editors.↩
- For English text, see supra.↩
- See telegram No. 127, August 1, 1941, 3 p.m., to the Minister in Bolivia, printed in Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. vi , section under Bolivia entitled “Proposed program for economic cooperation between the United States and Bolivia.”↩