Office of the Historian

PA–9. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation with the President1

Washington, November 2, 1959

The President said he had before him the letter from Stroessner2 with our draft reply regarding his request for transport planes. The President said our draft reply talks about our love of Paraguay and says the President will have the appropriate agencies study this request.3 The President said it seemed to him we could make a quick survey to see if any planes of these types were even available; the President doubted we had any left. The President said he would rather just say no than to give this sort of soft-soap reply which cast the President in the role of a Pontius Pilate. The Secretary said that had not been the intent of the letter, although the drafting might be improved. The intent was to get it away from the Presidential channel back into diplomatic channels. The Secretary said we are principally worried about the financial angle, i.e. that Stroessner can’t really afford to build up this kind of thing. The Secretary suggested the President might wish to send the letter back and let us redraft it. The President said he would put in his own thoughts and return it to the Secretary.4

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers. Confidential. Information on the source text indicates that this conversation took place at 11:55 a.m.↩
  2. President Stroessner’s letter of September 23, 1959, to President Eisenhower was delivered to the Secretary of State by the Paraguayan Minister of Finance, General César Barrientos. In the letter, President Stroessner requested 4 DC-4 or B-54 airplanes, 6 DC-3 or B-47 airplanes, and 6 AT-6 training planes. (Presidential correspondence, Lot 64 D 174).↩
  3. The Department of State’s draft reply to President Stroessner’s letter was sent to the White House under cover of a memorandum from the Secretary to the President, dated October 27, 1959, not printed. (Eisenhower Library, Staff Secretary Records, “Paraguay”)↩
  4. President Eisenhower’s reply to President Stroessner, dated November 7, 1959, was sent directly from the White House. A copy of the verbatim text was also sent to the Embassy in Asuncion in telegram 131. The reply stated in part the following: “I have noted your request for various transport aircraft and have instructed appropriate agencies of the Government to begin an immediate study of the request. Let me assure you that this matter will be accorded most careful consideration and that the result of the study will be communicated to your Government, through normal diplomatic channels, as soon as possible.” (Eisenhower Library, Staff Secretary Records, “Paraguay”)↩