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

VE–23. Memorandum from the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Acting Secretary of State¹

Washington, March 27, 1958

SUBJECT

• Expulsion from U.S. of Pérez Jiménez and Family

The action of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in ordering Venezuelan ex-President Pérez Jiménez and family to leave the United States by April 15 already having been taken and publicly announced, this Department should acquiesce in that decision. In my opinion, however, it is unfortunate that we were not consulted in advance in order to bring into the purview of discussion certain political and other considerations which I will briefly allude to below. We should recognize that much pressure has been exerted on the Department of Justice to expel Pérez Jiménez by (1) liberal organizations and the press, (2) members of Congress, and (3) in all likelihood Vice President Nixon.

From the standpoint of our relations with Latin America, including Venezuela itself, the Pérez Jiménez problem was no longer serious. We had stood on our long time principle, plus the added factor of his having entered the U.S. on a Venezuelan passport issued by the Junta Government and with a visa requested by that Government, and this seemed to have been widely recognized. In Venezuela itself, everybody knew that President Betancourt had resided in the United States and Puerto Rico for many years in spite of repeated demands by Pérez Jiménez that he be expelled.

It is particularly unfortunate to have the Pérez Jiménez issue headlined again on the eve of Castro’s probable visit to the U.S., and while we are considering cases of many former Cuban officials in the Batista administration, some of which are real hardship cases. Decision regarding these cases will now be more difficult.

There remains the basic problem of the failure of the Department of Justice (Immigration and Naturalization Service) to consult with us on a highly charged case which directly involves our relations with all of Latin America and especially Venezuela where U.S. Investment is the highest in the world except for Canada.

I recommend that you call Attorney General Rogers at once to advise him of our concern over the way this case was handled and that Messrs. Murphy, Hanes and I be authorized to take immediate steps in concert with the Justice Department to prevent a recurrence.²

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 731.00/3–2759. Confidential.
2. Herter’s handwritten notation at the bottom of the page reads: “Done—6:30 p.m. 3/27/59 C.A.H.”