710 Consultation 4/9–847
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chairman of the United States Delegation (Marshall)
| Participants: | Sr. Ernesto Nuñez, Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, El Salvador |
| Secretary Marshall | |
| Counsellor of Embassy Dr. Carlos Adalberto Alfaro | |
| Major Vernon Walters |
After the customary exchange of greetings we discussed at some length the Parliamentary form of government, I spoke of the high quality and dignity of the debates in the British Parliament at the time of Dunkirk. He replied stating that he felt that that was perhaps the greatest crisis through which the parliamentary form of government had ever passed, but he added that crises had the opposite effect in Latin America where they seemed to bring about an authoritarian form of government. I traced briefly the historical development of the United States constitutional form of government.
I then asked Dr. Nuñez how he viewed the progress of the Conference and he replied that he felt that it was going ahead very well and that he anticipated no obstacles to a speedy conclusion of the treaty. He added that he thought the Committees might be able to conclude their work today (August 27). I mentioned the desirability of arriving at a speedy agreement because of the favorable impression that such [Page 68] an agreement on an important matter would have on the rest of the world.
Dr. Nuñez then mentioned that his President9 had asked him to express his admiration for my work as Chief of Staff and now on behalf of peace. I thanked him for this expression and took my leave of him.
- Gen. Salvador Castañeda Castro.↩