Eisenhower Library, Eisenhower papers, Whitman file
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of Protocol (Simmons)
Subject:
- Call on the President by Peruvian Minister of Marine
- Participants: The President
- Peruvian Minister of Marine
- Peruvian Ambassador
- Chief of Protocol
The Peruvian Minister of Marine, Rear Admiral Roque A. Saldías, called on the President today, by special request, in order to deliver a personal letter1 and message from the President of Peru. The Minister was accompanied by the Peruvian Ambassador. The letter dealt almost exclusively with Peru’s annoyance at what it terms Ecuador’s intransigeance in failing to complete its surveys so as to bring into effect the Rio Protocol of 1942, settling the long-standing Peru-Ecuador boundary dispute. The letter also mentioned, in general terms, other matters which the Peruvian President wished the Minister to bring to the President’s attention.
The Ambassador opened the interview by telling the President of Peru’s hope that no increased American tariffs might be imposed on our importations from Peru of lead, zinc and copper. He said that the matter is one of great importance to the Peruvian economy. He [Page 1508] described, in answer to the President’s questions, the diversified nature of Peru’s economy, indicating its most important exports to this country as cotton, oil, copper and other metals, as well as textiles made from llama and vicuña skins, and a few other items, mainly agricultural. The President explained that he was not in a position to say what Congress would do on the tariff question, but that he was ready to use his influence at all times to try to prevent any injustices being done.
From this point the Ambassador, and later the Minister, entered upon a detailed and somewhat lengthy discussion of the adverse and anti-United States attitude of President Peron of Argentina. They both stressed Peron’s growing influence in other countries, bringing out the points that Paraguay was now merely an Argentine province, that Argentina was the dominating influence in Bolivia under the new regime of President Paz Estenssoro and that even Ecuador, under its new pro-Argentine President, Velasco Ibarra, was turning more than previously toward Peron for leadership. The Ambassador said that Chile was still maintaining a strong independent position but that its economic situation was unsatisfactory, a factor which might, if continued, swing it towards the Argentine camp. As for Peru, the Ambassador said that its economy is strong, that it now has a free foreign exchange market and that its finances are in fine shape. He said that Argentina often tries to drive sharp trade bargains based on Peru’s need for Argentine beef, but that, if Peru had adequate means of sea transportation, they might improve their own negotiating position with Peron by purchasing meat in Nicaragua. The Minister said that it was important to the United States to have an economically strong Peru in order to avoid having all South America falling into the Argentine orbit. Therefore, he said, we should give all possible support to Peru. Communism, he said, was a great and growing danger, and Argentina would be a fertile field for increased Communist activities. A prosperous Peru, he felt, was a bulwark against Communism.
He added, and this was corroborated by the Ambassador, that a widespread means of Argentine infiltration is its practice of sending to its various Embassies abroad a corps of highly trained “labor attachés”. These people, he said, citing the situation in Lima as a striking example, stir up labor troubles in the countries where they are stationed, infiltrating themselves into inner labor circles and thus having a hand in encouraging strikes and in labor activities of a political nature. The President suggested the possibility that such individuals could always be declared persona non grata if their actions became particularly offensive. In practice, the Ambassador said, this was possible but often difficult because of the complexities of Argentina’s diplomatic set-up and the delicacy of disturbing its diplomatic relationships.
[Page 1509]The President expressed interest in all these matters, asked about Peruvian wheat importations (about 200,000 tons annually) and reiterated his belief in closer relations with Latin America. He said that he had wished to visit Latin America himself but was prevented by his duties here from so doing. For that reason he was sending his brother, Dr. Milton Eisenhower, as his personal representative on a forthcoming Latin American trip of good-will and study.2 Dr. Eisenhower, he said, would work in close cooperation with the Department of State and our Embassies.
A curious part of the interview was that the Ecuador boundary dispute, the main subject of the letter, was mentioned only briefly, although with some feeling.