822.01/9–847
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of North and West Coast Affairs (Espy)
| Participants: | Ambassador L. Neftali Ponce of Ecuador |
| Mr. Sheldon T. Mills | |
| Mr. James Espy |
Ambassador Ponce of Ecuador called on his request at the Department this afternoon. Referring to his previous call on September 4, Ambassador Ponce stated that he had brought with him two Memoranda giving additional information on the situation in Ecuador which he wished the Department to consider with respect to the possible reestablishment of relations with Ecuador. Copies of these Memoranda are attached.14 The one quotes a resolution of the Ecuadoran Council of State declaring that President José Maria Velasco Ibarra abandoned his office as President and that, therefore, the Presidency of Ecuador was constitutionally assumed by Vice President Mariano Suarez Veintimilla, and summoning a special session of the Ecuadoran Congress for Monday, September 15 for the purposes as stated in article 87 of the Ecuadoran Constitution of 1946. (The article provides that Congress shall be called into extraordinary session in order to issue “la resolucion corespondiente” after the Council of State has found that the President has abandoned his office.) This resolution is dated September 3, 1947. The other Memorandum states that order has been reestablished in Ecuador and conveys information reported to the Ecuadoran Ambassador by the Ecuadoran Foreign [Page 673] Ministry to the effect that the constitutional government of Dr. Suarez Veintimilla is exercising effective jurisdiction in all territory of Ecuador; that there is peace and tranquillity throughout the Republic; that all the army units have returned to their barracks and recognize the authority of the constitutional government; that the people of Ecuador have manifested their support of the government; and that it is unanimously agreed that the present actual government of Ecuador is the constitutional continuation of the previous government that was temporarily overthrown by the attempted dictatorship of Colonel Mancheno.
Following his reading of these Memoranda Ambassador Ponce said that he was convinced that all was quiet in Ecuador and that the Suarez Veintimilla government had been accepted as the constitutional administration of the country and was supported by all elements in Ecuador. In reply to various questions asked him by Mr. Mills he said that on September 4 Colonel Vellacis, the leader of the dissident military at Ambato which had been supporting Colonel Mancheno, capitulated to Colonel Baquero, Minister of Defense of the Suarez Veintimilla Government; that the military at Guayaquil were also disposed to accept the Suarez Veintimilla government; and that apparently Major Giron had also acceded to this (he explained that all along Major Giron has been in opposition to Colonel Mancheno and supporting the constitutional government, but it was not clear whether Major Giron would accept Suarez Veintimilla as the constitutional President); that former President Velasco Ibarra was not returning to Ecuador and that if he tried to do so, it would be very improbable that he could obtain any support for his restitution as President; and that the Foreign Minister, Dr. Trujillo, had returned to Quito and reassumed charge of the Foreign Ministry on September 6.
Ambassador Ponce also stated that as he understood it, Dr. Suarez Veintimilla would on September 15 appear before the Congress as the constitutional President and report on the events that had occurred and thereafter submit his resignation to the Congress. The Ambassador explained that Suarez Veintimilla is a member of the conservative party of Ecuador which has the largest single membership in the Congress, but does not have a majority over the combined liberal and socialist party members and therefore could not hope to obtain the continued support of Congress. The Ambassador said that he did not know who would be the candidate for the provisional Vice President. According to the constitution, however, the President of the House of Deputies would normally succeed the Vice President. In any event, the provisional Vice President would only hold office until national elections were held next year.
[Page 674]At the end of the conversation Ambassador Ponce said he had received word today that the government of Bolivia had announced that it would continue to maintain relations with the constitutional Ecuadoran Government and he hoped that the United States Government would soon see its way clear also to do so.
- Not printed.↩