EC–25. Telegram from the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Ecuador1
390. Following statement will be issued by Department of State with approval Foreign Minister Chiriboga to hold for release twelve o’clock noon Washington time December thirtieth.2 Embassy should communicate this joint statement to Government of Ecuador for concurrent release.
“The United States and the Government of Ecuador today made the following joint announcement:
Foreign Minister José R. Chiriboga of Ecuador has consulted during the past few days with high level officials of the Department of State and of various United States Government financial institutions concerning President José María Velasco Ibarra’s economic and social development plans and the part that the United States can play in assisting Ecuador to realize these plans to raise the standard of living of its people. Various missions from the United States have already performed preliminary surveys of the projects Ecuador hopes to accomplish in the fields of low-cost housing, electrification, road construction, provision of potable water to various Ecuadorean communities, and economic mapping of the country. On the basis of these studies and the discussions with Foreign Minister Chiriboga, U.S. officials are confident that prompt consideration can be given to the proposals for [Facsimile Page 2] loans that Ecuador plans to submit in the near future.
The projects discussed that appear to be promising include the following: Assistance to Ecuador in establishing savings and loan institutions that will permit low-cost housing to be made available to people of modest means, as well as assistance in initiating ‘self-help’ housing in Ecuador.
Construction of first class roads from Santo Domingo to Esmeraldas and from M. J. Calle to Huaquillas.
Municipal water systems which would contribute to the economic growth of Ecuador and the welfare of its citizens.
Electric power installations in the Manta-Bahia de Caraquez area, with accompanying transmission systems, and projects to increase [Typeset Page 564] the power generating capacity in Cuenca, Alao-Riobamba, San Jose, and Loja.
Mapping of Western Ecuador as a preliminary to establishing development projects.
U.S. officials are awaiting receipt of loan applications for these projects and for others which are still in the preliminary state, and look forward to careful consideration of these projects as they are submitted and to further mutual consultation with the Government of Ecuador.”