100. Memorandum of conversation, January 10, between President Kennedy and Ambassador Ponce1

[Facsimile Page 1]

SUBJECT

  • Presentation of Credentials by Ecuadorean Ambassador—Discussion of Forthcoming MFM

PARTICIPANTS

  • The President
  • Ecuadorean Ambassador Neftali PONCE Miranda
  • Mr. Angier Biddle Duke, Chief of Protocol
  • Mr. William J. Tonesk, Deputy Chief of Protocol
  • Mr. Taylor G. Belcher, ARA/WST

Ambassador Ponce called at the White House to present his credentials. During the call the President asked the Ambassador for an assessment of the strength of leftist influence in Ecuador and of the degree of political stability which President Arosemena felt he now enjoyed. Ambassador Ponce said that the new President and his Cabinet had settled in well and that the Government was in firm control of the situation. He added that support for the President was widespread as exhibited during the tense period of the change of Presidents. At that time, although Communist influenced groups were apparent in the streets of the major cities, the people as a whole did not support them and they were not allowed to get out of hand.

The Ambassador said that President Arosemena and his Government were fully behind the Alliance for Progress and they felt that the success of the Alliance concept was the only answer to the Communist threat to Latin America. He emphasized the need for quick action on both sides and referred to the imminent tax and agrarian reforms in [Typeset Page 248] Ecuador as evidence of his Government’s devotion to the concepts of liberty, progress and social justice.

President Kennedy referred to the forthcoming Meeting of Foreign Ministers at Punta del Este, stating that the United States hoped for the strongest possible resolutions and at the same time hoped for the greatest possible degree of unanimity. The Ambassador commented at some length on the internal political situation in Ecuador which made it difficult for his Government to espouse openly the position which it would like to support. He added that the Government feared [Facsimile Page 2] disturbances fomented by pro-Castro elements and was reluctant to place itself in a position requiring the possible use of force against the people. He doubted that the situation would permit Ecuador to vote favorably for sanctions but that the United States Government should not take this to mean that Ecuador supported Cuba.2 He further said that Ecuador would in all probability follow the Argentine-Brazilian position. He agreed that some strong action was required to contain the Castro threat, asserting that Castro was a much greater security threat to Latin American nations than to the United States.

At this point the President accepted the Ambassador’s credentials and exchanged transcripts of their formal remarks.

  1. Presentation of credentials; discussion of upcoming Meeting of Foreign Ministers at Punta del Este. Confidential. 2 pp. Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Ecuador, January 1961–March 1962.
  2. The Ambassador later said to Mr. Belcher that he and his Foreign Minister would welcome very strongly worded resolutions which would call for a mandatory break of relations and obligatory sanctions, calling this “the best solution for Ecuador.” He explained that Ecuador would abstain in a vote on any such resolutions but at the same time she would comply with her obligations under the Rio Treaty and carry out the terms of the resolution. It was politically impossible, he explained, to vote in favor of taking this action, but it was possible to explain the need to comply with the terms of the Treaty. COMMENT: I have no doubt that this accurately reflects the true feelings of the Foreign Minister and the Ambassador but whether this view is shared by President Arosemena is open to some doubt.