Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, The United Nations; The Western Hemisphere, Volume II

720.00/4–2551

Memorandum by the United States Representative on the Council of the Organization of American States (Dreier) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Miller)

confidential

[Washington,] April 25, 1951.

Subject: Termination of Special Committee for the Caribbean.

It seems to me that early steps should be taken to bring to an end the Special Committee for the Caribbean (so-called Watchdog Committee), which was established by the COAS/OC over a year ago.² You probably recall that an effort to do this was made last October, but that this failed largely because of the attitude of the Dominican Republic. Just before the Foreign Ministers Meeting,³ it was agreed in the Committee that the favorable opportunity offered by the presence of the principally interested Foreign Ministers in Washington should be used to accomplish this purpose. Unfortunately, the Dominican attitude toward Cuba, especially Foreign Minister Dihigo,⁴ spoiled this opportunity.

Actually, the only elements of controversy which still devolve from the COAS/OC Resolutions of April 8, 1950⁵ are a remnant of the controversy between Cuba and the Dominican Republic over Cava Confites⁶ (which the latter seems unwilling to relinquish), and the Dominican resentment over propaganda attacks by Dominican revolutionaries located in Cuba.

This problem has been discussed with MID and Tom Mann⁷ who agree that the Committee should be terminated at an early date. To accomplish this, I believe we should suggest that the Committee complete its final report, the main point of which would be that there appear to be no remaining problems which cannot be resolved through normal diplomatic channels. When agreed upon in the Committee, this report should be transmitted to the directly interested governments (Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic), with an express statement that it will be issued within a specified period of time—say one week—and without any indication that it is being submitted for approval or disapproval.

If you approve,⁸ I shall get in touch with Chairman Mora⁹ immediately and recommend that a meeting of the Committee be arranged, if possible before the departure of Ambassador Zuleta Angel,¹⁰ in order to see whether the Committee will agree upon this procedure and the text of a final report.

2. The Special Committee for the Caribbean had been appointed on April 8, 1950, in connection with the efforts of the Council of the Organization of American-States (COAS) to resolve problems resulting from charges and counter-charges-of subversive activities by several Caribbean governments. For documentation relating to the committee’s establishment and its activities during 1950, see ibid.
3. Reference is to the Fourth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of American States, held at Washington, March 26–April 7, 1951. For documentation on the conference, see pp. 925 ff.
4. Ernesto Dihigo y López Trigo.
5. For the text of these resolutions, see Annals of the Organization of American States (Washington, 1950), vol. 2, pp. 147–151.
6. Reference is to an abortive invasion against the Dominican Republic in 1947 allegedly instigated by Cuban authorities; for documentation on the incident, see Foreign Relations, 1947, vol. viii, pp. 629 ff.
7. Thomas C. Mann, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs.
8. At this point, the source text bears a marginal notation which reads: “OK EGM[iller]”.
9. José A. Mora, Uruguayan Ambassador to the United States and Representative on the COAS.
10. Eduardo Zuleta Angel, Colombian Ambassador to the United States and Representative on the COAS.