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  4. Document 573

839.24/7–847

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State

secret
[Washington,] July 8, 1947.
Participants: The Secretary of State, Mr. Marshall
Sr. Don Julio Ortega Frier, Dominican Ambassador
Mr. Ellis O. Briggs22

The Dominican Ambassador called this morning to discuss the following matters:

1)
An invitation for the United States to have a special representative at the reinauguration of President Trujillo on August 16. He handed me a note conveying this invitation.23
2)
In accordance with President Trujillo’s instruction the Ambassador expressed the hope that the U.S. Government would see fit to reverse its policy of not furnishing arms to the Dominican Republic, as set forth in a communication to his predecessor by the Department of State in December, 1945.24 The Ambassador summarized the contents of this communication, indicating that the Dominican Government took particular exception to the stated reasons for the Department’s position. He went on to say that the Dominican Government endorsed the standardization plan contained in legislation pending before Congress25 and that although it had obtained certain arms during the past eighteen months from other sources, and had in particular an offer to supply munitions from the British Government before it now, President Trujillo preferred to meet his requirements in the United States. He reiterated therefore the hope that the Dominican [Page 643] Government could shortly anticipate being permitted to make purchases in the U.S. market.
3)
Likewise under direction of President Trujillo, the Ambassador stated that his government looked forward to collaborating with our Government toward the success of the forthcoming Rio de Janeiro Conference,26 to which the Dominican Government attributed great importance. In particular the Ambassador said he wished to assure me that “other rumors to the contrary” the Dominican Government did not propose at the Conference to make any statements critical of any other American country. He went on to explain that the country in reference was Venezuela.

I told the Ambassador that I had not had an opportunity to consider prior to his call the first two points which he had made, but that I would do so at an early date and would then indicate the Department’s position. With respect to representation at the inauguration I mentioned that our recent practice has been to have our resident Ambassador represent this Government.27

George C. Marshall
  1. Director, Office of American Republic Affairs.↩
  2. Neither the Dominican note nor the United States note of July 24 in reply, printed.↩
  3. For the aide-mémoire of December 28, 1945, see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. ix, p. 994; for the Dominican reply, January 8, 1946, see ibid., 1946, vol. xi, p. 816.↩
  4. For documentation on United States policy with respect to provision of military assistance and armaments to other American Republics, see pp. 101 ff.↩
  5. For documentation on the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Continental Peace and Security, Quitandinha, Brazil, August 15–September 2, 1947, see pp. 1 ff.↩
  6. The Department informed Ambassador Butler in telegram 165, August 12, 1947, 10 a.m., that President Truman had approved his appointment as his Personal Representative with the rank of Special Ambassador, to attend the inaugural ceremonies of General Trujillo (839.001 Trujillo, Rafael/8–947).↩