811.34521/27
The Colombian Minister for Foreign Affairs (Echandía) to the American Ambassador in Colombia (Lane)41
Mr. Ambassador: I have the honor to refer to Your Excellency’s kind note No. 96 of the 23rd of the present month, in which, following the instructions of your Government, there were requested, in development of the conversations which had taken place for the purpose of giving a maximum efficacy to the joint measures of cooperation between our Governments for the defense of the hemisphere, the protection of the navigation of the shipping of Colombia, the United States, and friendly nations, and the security of the Panama Canal, certain facilities for the naval and aerial forces under the command of the Chief of the Caribbean Defense Command.
After carefully studying the measures which the Government of Your Excellency proposes, my Government finds that it can cooperate in developing them in accordance with the pacts of continental solidarity, and particularly the Resolution XV of La Habana,42 approved by Law 20 of 1941 and Decree 2261 of the 22nd of December of the same year, by means of which Colombia recognized the non-belligerent character of the American countries at war. In consequence, I have the pleasure of communicating to Your Excellency that as a contribution to continental defense and as a demonstration of friendship and of cooperation, my Government gladly grants to that of the United States of America the facilities requested under the terms specified by Your Excellency.
It will be very agreeable to the Colombian military and naval authorities to enter into communication with General Andrews, Chief of the Caribbean Defense Command, for the purpose of working out the details relative to the realization of the points mentioned above.
I avail myself [etc.]