Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume V, Microfiche Supplement, American Republics

CO–18. Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom)¹

Bogotá, February 13, 1959

PARTICIPANTS

• Colombian President Lleras Camargo
• Colombian Foreign Minister Turbay Ayala
• R. R. Rubottom, Jr.

Date

• February 1959

Place

• Bogotá, Colombia

While visiting Colombia I had separate conversations with President Lleras Camargo and Foreign Minister Turbay Ayala.² I covered the following principal points with them:

Coffee—I told them that the U.S. is following the coffee problem with continuing and sympathetic interest. I recognized the importance of coffee to Colombia and the other countries of Latin America and had hesitated to accept their invitation to visit Colombia because I did not want to be drawn into public comment about coffee due to the impact on the market which anything said by a public official would have. The coffee producing countries should not pass the responsibility to the U.S. to bring some order to the coffee market through import quotas. They could achieve the same end by applying export quotas. Nevertheless, several officials in the Department of State are undertaking to explain the serious nature of the instability of the market to others in the government and to some members of the Congress. I referred to my discussion with Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson³ and to the intention of Mr. Mann and myself to contact several individual members of the interested committees in the Senate as well as the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, I said, Colombia would have to use all of its influence on Brazil especially and on the other coffee producing countries to maintain the present pact if chaos was to be avoided. This they seemed to recognize was the case, and they said that they were spending practically full time on Brazil.

Caribbean Political Situation—I expressed the concern which the U.S. holds for the emerging political situation in the Caribbean area, following the victorious revolution in Cuba. I said that the principle of non-intervention had come under fire and that yet it seemed to the U.S. that this principle, perhaps more than any other, was at the root of the democratic growth in Latin America. To this they agreed. I urged them to use all of the influence which Colombia has, and it is outstanding I said, to persuade their sister republics not to throw over the very foundations of the Inter-American system which we had all fought for, for so long.

The Foreign Minister told me that the Cuban Government had sent a special emissary to talk to Colombian officials and mentioned that they had made their views regarding non-intervention quite clear to him. They had expressed firm disapproval of the executions in Cuba and of the public statements regarding Cuban support of efforts to overthrow other governments in the area. They had told him that if intervention under democratic regimes was to be tolerated, it would also take place under less attractive regimes.

President Lleras Camargo mentioned the call of the Cuban emissary on him but did not tell me in as much detail of their discussion as did the Foreign Minister.

Colombian Political Situation—I complimented the President and the Foreign Minister on the way in which Colombia had managed its affairs through the past difficult months. They said that the people had responded whole-heartedly to the austerity program and had cooperated with the national front. They feel, however, that the political situation will deteriorate rapidly if coffee prices drop much further and if economic prospects do not improve. Colombia had undergone quite a challenge with the return of Rojas Pinilla. People had not really expected him to return but the legal processes were being carried out now that he had. The trial will probably last another two or three weeks in the Senate and then he will be turned over to the Courts. Violence has abated in the worst areas of a year or so ago, but it has cropped up again in Caldas and northern Boyaca. Squatters are moving in on properties and are creating quite a serious problem.

I stressed the role that Colombia has played traditionally in the OAS and in the UN and the great satisfaction which I took from seeing Colombia return to its outstanding position of the past.

Diplomatic Asylum—The Foreign Minister said that Colombia is preparing to submit certain amendments to the convention on asylum for consideration at the Quito conference next year. They are in a difficult situation with Guatemala and Nicaragua, the embassies of both of these countries having given asylum to common criminals. They feel that the traditional rules of asylum should be respected and that the asylum-granting country should determine when asylum may properly be granted, but the abuse must stop if the principle of asylum is to continue. One thing they have in mind recommending is that asylum should not be granted to military officers on active duty.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 821.2333/2–1359. Confidential.
2. Assistant Secretary Rubottom visited Colombia, February 7–10, 1959. Copies of briefing papers prepared for his visit are in ARA/WST Files, Lot 63 D 20; additional documentation is in decimal file 721.00(W).
3. No memorandum of the referenced discussion was identified.