Office of the Historian

406. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Philippines1

Washington, April 14, 1958—7 p.m.

4083. Joint State–Defense message (3 parts).2 Manila’s 4219; Department’s 3962, 3884.3

Part I:

1.
Regret necessity delaying your planned discussion liaison officers with Serrano and Vargas on Thursday, but in view numerous recommendations received impossible arrive sooner at coordinated position this complicated problem. As you know, we have long sought establishment liaison officers on bases and accept completely principle that liaison officers as symbol US-Phil cooperation would 1) have salutary effect on Phil attitude towards US bases as described your reference telegram and 2) help simplify day-to-day problems on bases. We therefore strongly favor establishment liaison officers as effective instruments for reporting to and carrying out decisions of central body for Philippine-US cooperation in military matters, i.e., PI–US Mutual Defense Board.
2.
You may therefore wish inform Serrano and Vargas that US strongly favors idea establishing liaison officers on bases; we believe they can contribute greatly to solution problem created by third power aircraft. However, we believe description duties liaison officers should properly be worked out together with terms reference for Mutual Defense Board for whom they will work. Therefore believe we should move ahead soonest establish long-planned machinery for resolution problems military cooperation through making arrangements to cover both Mutual Defense Board and Liaison Officers, who will be Mutual Defense Board’s effective instruments on bases themselves.
3.
On basis review arrangements proposed last spring by Philippines for establishment of MDB and liaison officers, believe speedy agreement can be reached on both. Text with respect to Mutual Defense Board (Part II this message) acceptable to us provided Philippines accept underlined language which Arreglado agreed to last year. Text with respect liaison officers (Embtel 2942 of April 15, 1957)4 also acceptable provided that bracketed language, dealing with providing liaison officers with quarters, is dropped. We are still exploring this point, but cannot give a firm commitment in this regard now. It should be noted that we have dropped earlier language in paragraph 2. B referring to “such Philippine laws and regulations as may be applicable within the base”. This done on grounds that Military Bases Agreement forms integral part of Philippine law, applicable throughout Philippines including base areas, and provides exceptions, for example in fields of taxes and customs, to normal provisions of Philippine law (see paragraph 3, CA 8586 of April 3).5

[Here follows Part II; see footnote 1 above.]

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.56396/4–1058. Secret. Drafted by Brand and Lang, cleared in draft with OSD/ISA and L/FE, and approved by Parsons. Repeated to CINCPAC, CINCPAC for POLAD, CINCPACFLT, CINCPACAF, CINCUSARPAC, CINCPACREPPHIL, COMNAVPHIL, and 13th AF SAMAP.↩
  2. Part II of this telegram, not printed, continued the verbatim text of the terms of reference for a Mutual Defense Board. Dulles’ signature appears at the end of Part II, and there is no indication in Department of State files of a Part III.↩
  3. Telegram 4219 from Manila is printed supra; regarding telegram 3962 to Manila April 9, see footnote 2, supra. Telegram 3884 to Manila, April 5, a joint State-Defense message, noted that in previous base negotiations, the issue of Philippine liaison officers had been discussed within the context of establishing a Mutual Defense Board. Both State and Defense Departments felt that it should continue to be so considered. (Department of State, Central Files, 711.56396/4–158)↩
  4. Telegram 2942 from Manila contained a draft text relating to Philippine liaison officers suggested by Arreglado. (Ibid., 711.56396/4–1557)↩

  5. The opening sentence of paragraph 3 of CA–8586, April 3, reads: “Suggested wording paragraph 8, Deptel 2377 adopted from NATO SOF and Japanese agreements.” It went on to say that Philippine laws were applicable throughout the Philippines, including base areas. (Ibid., 711.56396/4–358) Telegram 2377 is printed as Document 397.

    An agreement for the establishment of the Mutual Defense Board was signed on May 15, 1958; the text is printed in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1958, pp. 1244–1249; or TIAS 4033; 9 UST 547.

    ↩