711F.1914/548

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)

The Ambassador of Panama44 called to see me this morning at his request.

The Ambassador said that his Foreign Minister had asked him to see me in order to let me know that the Government of Panama was concerned by the continuing delay in favorable action on the part of the United States Congress in approving the recent twelve-point agreements entered into by the Government of the United States with the Government of Panama, The Ambassador said that Dr. Fábrega had also asked him to let me know that public opinion in Panama was becoming exercised, and that the propagandists were starting the story [Page 612] that Panama had given everything required by the United States for the war effort, but that the Congress was not going to approve the agreements, and that, consequently, the Government of Panama had made a bad bargain.

I told the Ambassador that I was sure the Government of Panama, as well as public opinion in Panama, must realize that under our Constitutional form of Government immediate action on important questions of this kind was rarely possible. I said that it was my understanding that the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives had reported out favorably the legislation required in order to carry out the agreements entered into, and that the matter was now before the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate. I said that, of course, as the Ambassador well knew, very many urgent and pressing measures were now before the Senate for its consideration, and that I could not hold out the slightest hope that final action could be anticipated in the immediate future. I said, however, that I felt that the prospects were favorable and that I would be glad to talk personally with Senator Connally, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, in order to ascertain what his views might be.

S[umner] W[elles]
  1. Ernesto Jan Guardia.