796.5/1–2251

Memorandum of Conversation Between the Ambassador in the Philippines ( Cowen )1 and the Philippine Secretary of National Defense ( Magsaysay )2

secret

Subject: Notes on conference between Secretary of Defense Magsaysay and Ambassador Cowen at approximately 11:40 a. m. this date.

The Secretary was informed that General Marshall3 was not happy relative to the high command set-up of the Philippine Armed Forces. The Ambassador stated bluntly that General Marshall, in a conference with General Romulo,4 the minutes5 of which he had seen, stated that he “did not wish to have the same experience that he had had in China in supplying arms to an Army which was guided by political interests.”6

Secretary Magsaysay agreed with this point of view and stated that he was making all possible efforts to place the Armed Forces of the Philippines out of the realm of politics. He stated that in his effort to clean up the corruption in the Army he had caused an investigation to be made relative to the replacement of new parts on MDAP equipment with second hand parts purchased locally. He stated in this respect that he had ordered General Castaneda to make an investigation; that General Castaneda had relieved Colonel Causing who was making a thorough investigation and had replaced him with an officer, name unrelated, who, he said, had been due for retirement but whose retirement had been held up at General Castaneda’s instigation. However, laterally an investigation has been made and thirty-two (32) officers were implicated and they are in the present status of awaiting trial by General Court Martial. Officers are now being appointed to the Board to try these officers. The Ambassador replied that only heavy sentences in this case and wide publicity would be satisfactory to us.

[Page 1505]

Secretary Magsaysay then related his experiences with an informer from the Huk organization which had led to the subsequent arrest of the local politiburo. He stated that when the round-up of these suspected Huks was carried out, he had directed that a thousand men be used to implement the arrests. General Castaneda had persuaded him that two hundred men would be sufficient and as a result many of the suspected Huks escaped (this last was confirmed at the time of these raids by conversation between the Naval Attaché and Ltcol Balao, G–2.) However, a sufficient number of the Huk hierarchy was captured in these raids to cause a slowing-up, if not cessation, of the Huk activities for some time. This same informant had given him, the Secretary, information which led to the arrest of the perpetrators of the train payroll robbery of November 1950 and the recovery of part of the stolen funds.

[Here follows discussion of a site for a Voice of America transmitter.]

  1. Ambassador Cowen had arrived back in Manila on January 19.
  2. The source text, which is unsigned, is typed on the letterhead of the U.S. Naval Attaché and Naval Attaché for Air, a post held by Capt. Walter Coler Holt.
  3. George Catlett Marshall, U.S. Secretary of Defense.
  4. Foreign Secretary Romulo, who was also his country’s Permanent Delegate to the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador, had been a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army during World War II.
  5. Not printed.
  6. For documents pertaining to the mission of General Marshall to China, see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol vii, pp. 745 ff.; 1946, volume ix ; and 1946, vol x, pp. 1723.