831.6363/10–444: Airgram

The Ambassador in Venezuela (Corrigan) to the Secretary of State

A–820. References:—Confidential despatch No. 6441 of September 7, 1944 and Restricted despatch No. 6497 of September 27, 1944.67

The Manager of the local Dutch Shell Group has informed me that the Minister of Fomento in a conversation held yesterday again pressed him to obtain an agreement “in principle” from the American and British Governments that they would furnish materials, supplies and equipments at the earliest possible date to permit construction of the refinery (at Punta Cardón, Paraguaná Peninsula, State of Falcon) which the group is under obligation to build.

The Minister wants to make an appropriate public announcement—that amplification of facilities at Shell’s Curaçao plant is part of our war program and that the two governments will make materials available as soon as possible for refinery construction on the Venezuelan mainland—before the opposition press learns of the large volume of materials which has already arrived at Curaçao and makes political “hay” thereof during the present political campaign by charging the administration with being asleep and not seeing to it that the materials were shipped here instead of to Curaçao.

The Minister reportedly spoke to the recently-arrived British Ambassador68 about the matter when the latter paid his first official call a few days ago and said that he was again requesting that instructions be sent to Ambassador Escalante to ask our Government for the desired assurances or agreement.

The Shell manager,69 who cabled his London headquarters when the Minister first brought the subject up, has not been informed whether the British Government has decided to give the desired assurances or agreement or has taken the matter up with Washington, but reported the matter to me in order that the Department might be forewarned of a possible visit from Dr. Escalante.

Corrigan
  1. Neither printed.
  2. Sir George Arthur Drostan Ogilvie-Forbes.
  3. John H. Loudon.