235. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, August 14, 1956, 4 p.m.1
PARTICIPANTS
- His Excellency Señor Don Manuel Tello, Ambassador of Mexico
- Assistant Secretary Henry F. Holland
- Mrs. Ruth Mason Hughes, Officer in Charge, Mexican Affairs
The Ambassador of Mexico called on Mr. Holland at four o’clock today and referred to the statement made by Senator Lyndon Johnson concerning a proposal to appropriate $6 million for the construction of three Coast Guard patrol vessels for activities in the Gulf of Mexico in relation to the protection of United States fishing vessels. He handed Mr. Holland an excerpt from the Congressional Record of July 25 (Tab A)2 together with a copy of the Conference Report No. 2941 of the House of Representatives of July 26, 1956 (Tab B).
The Ambassador said that as Mr. Holland knew, the President of Mexico would make his annual report to the Congress on September 1 at which time he would refer to the excellent relations between the United States and Mexico, the White Sulphur Springs Conference and the Panama Conference.3 He said also that General Maxwell Taylor, Chief of Staff of the United States Army will visit Mexico for the Independence Day festivities September 15–16 as the guest of the Mexican Minister of Defense.4 His Government was most anxious that nothing embarrassing should occur during the [Page 737] month of September. He felt that with United States Coast Guard vessels patrolling the waters of the Gulf of Mexico there was the possibility that the newspapers might carry an unpleasant story at the very time the President was informing the Congress and the Nation of the friendly relations existing between the two countries. He was therefore under instructions of his Government to propose to the United States Government that the Coast Guard vessels be withdrawn from patrolling activities incidental to the protection of the United States fishing fleet until the end of September with the understanding that there will be no “danger to personnel and equipment of the shrimp industry in the Gulf of Mexico waters” during this period of time. Mr. Holland informed the Ambassador that he would look into the proposal and inform him of this Government’s decision at the earliest possible moment. The Ambassador then handed Mr. Holland the attached card (Tab C).
A discussion of how this troublesome problem might be settled followed. The Ambassador suggested that when a vessel is seized a buoy be put down to mark the spot, and that an airplane or a vessel equipped to determine the exact distance from the shore be called to verify the location. If the distance should be determined to be outside the nine mile limit the fishing boat would then be released. He said this would eliminate the charges that boats were being seized outside the nine mile limit and relieve some of the unpleasantness.
Mr. Holland said he would also explore the possibilities of this proposal.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.126/8–1456. Confidential. Drafted by Hughes.↩
- None of the tabs is printed.↩
- For documentation on the meeting of the Presidents of the American Republics in Panamá, July 21–22, see Documents 109 ff.↩
- General Matías Ramos.↩