611.14/10–652

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Officer in Charge of Central America and Panama Affairs ( Clark )

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Subject:

  • Courtesy Call of New Guatemalan Ambassador
  • Participants: The Ambassador of Guatemala to the United States, Señor Don Guillermo Toriello Garrido
  • ARA—Mr. Miller
  • MID—Mr. Clark

Ambassador Toriello paid his first courtesy call on Mr. Miller this afternoon. He expressed his great pleasure at having the honor to represent his Government in Washington and said that he looked forward to his mission with great anticipation in the sincere hope that his efforts would strengthen further the close bonds of friendship which already existed between the United States and Guatemala. Mr. Miller responded by welcoming the Ambassador to Washington and assuring him that he and other officials of the Department were here to assist him in every possible way during his stay here as Ambassador.

Ambassador Toriello then brought up the matter of cooperation between Guatemala and the United States in the construction of the Inter-American Highway. He reviewed briefly his conversations1 on this subject with Mr. Siracusa and with Mr. Clark and stated, as he had to the latter two officials, that his Government desired to conclude a new agreement which would permit work to go forward on the Highway. President Arbenz was especially interested and desirous of resuming the cooperative effort on this project. He said that there was one small change, however, that he would like to propose in the wording of one of the provisions in the draft of a proposed note from the Guatemalan Embassy to the Department of State and he had taken the liberty of bringing with him a draft2 of the new language which he desired to propose. The Ambassador said that he hoped he could leave the draft on a strictly informal basis and that the Department would give consideration to it. He explained that the new wording would not change the substance of the provision in question (relating to free transit of U.S. Government vehicles) but would facilitate things considerably for the Guatemalan Government in that the new wording would obviate the necessity of the exchange of notes to be submitted to the Guatemalan Congress for ratification. In concluding his overture [Page 1045] on the Inter-American Highway, Ambassador Toriello mentioned that he had broached the subject of the Highway in his conversation with President Truman at the time of presenting his credentials.3 The President had stated, he said, that the United States Government would cooperate with Guatemala in every way on this meritorious project.

Mr. Miller responded by saying that the Department would be glad to give consideration to Guatemala’s desire to negotiate a Highway agreement4 and to any changes in the note that the Guatemalans would like to propose. He went on to emphasize to the Ambassador that the completion of an agreement did not necessarily mean that funds would be available for work since at the present time all available funds were allocated for work elsewhere than Guatemala and it depended on Congress whether new funds would be appropriated. He explained that we had requested and received enabling legislation from the last Congress but it was now necessary to request Congress to appropriate funds under the enabling legislation. Congress would probably not meet again until after the first of next year. In addition, assuming that Congress would appropriate new funds, there would then be the question of deciding where the money should best be spent, taking into consideration the entire length of the Highway. This was a matter of joint decision by the Department and the Bureau of Public Roads. Ambassador Toriello said that he understood this situation clearly.

Ambassador Toriello then brought up the matter of the difficulties encountered by the Guatemalan Government in endeavoring to obtain roadbuilding equipment for the Atlantic Highway. He said that some machinery was available, but especially in the category of heavy tractors they had only been able to obtain second-hand reconstructed tractors at exorbitant prices. He said that these heavy tractors and certain other heavy equipment were the key to getting ahead with the work. He concluded by expressing the hope that the Department of State could lend its good offices to assisting the Guatemalan Government in obtaining the needed equipment.

Mr. Miller responded by explaining the system of defense priorities made necessary by the defense effort. He said that the OIT had primary jurisdiction in this field and that it was at all times hard pressed to [Page 1046] meet the heavy demands of the military and priority civilian needs related to the defense effort. Mr. Miller pointed out that just at the time the general supply situation seemed to be improving the steel strike occurred with resultant setback to the industrial output of the country. Mr. Miller said, however, that the Department would be glad to look into the matter further with the OIT and see what might be done.

Before he departed, Ambassador Toriello left with Mr. Miller for study and consideration by the Department a draft of the proposed change in wording to which he had previously referred.

  1. Memoranda of these conversations, by Mr. Siracusa, dated Sept. 11, 1952, and by Mr. Clark, dated Sept. 30, 1952, respectively, are attached to 611.14/10–352; they are not printed.
  2. Not printed.
  3. Ambassador Toriello presented his credentials to President Truman on Sept. 24, 1952; the text of the Ambassador’s remarks and of the President’s reply is contained in Department of State press release 751, dated Sept. 24.
  4. In a memorandum to Assistant Secretary Miller, dated Oct. 3, 1952, Mr. Clark stated that MID recommended that an effort be made to conclude a basic highway agreement with Guatemala, because this would provide an opportunity for the United States to obtain certain commitments from Guatemala required by the Inter-American Highway Act (Public Law 375), approved Dec. 26, 1941; for text, see 55 Stat. 860. However, continued Mr. Clark, “our policy of withholding funds for actual work in Guatemala should remain unchanged until such time as there are fundamental changes in the internal situation in Guatemala.” (611.14/10–352)