219. Memorandum of conversation, December 16, between President Kennedy and President Betancourt and other U.S. and Venezuelan officials1
SUBJECT
- Conference Between President Kennedy and Venezuelan President Betancourt—Oil Imports Problem
PARTICIPANTS
- The President
- Ambassador Chester Bowles
- Mr. C. Allan Stewart, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim
- Mr. Robert F. Woodward, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs
- Mr. Teodoro Moscoso, Assistant Administrator for Latin America of the Agency for International Development
- Mr. Richard Goodwin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs
- Mr. Harold Linder, President of Export-Import Bank of Washington
- Mr. Fernando van Reigersberg, LS staff interpreter
- President Romulo Betancourt of Venezuela
- Dr. Marcos Falcón Briceño, Foreign Minister of Venezuela
- Dr. Andres German Otero, Minister of Finance of Venezuela
- General Antonio Briceño Linares, Minister of Defense of Venezuela
- Dr. Jose Antonio Mayobre, Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States
- Dr. Alejandro Oropeza Castillo, Governor of the Federal District of Venezuela
- Dr. Manuel Perez Guerrero, Chief, Office of Coordination and Planning, Venezuelan Government
The meeting convened at 5:15 p.m. on December 16, 1961, at Los Nuñez, President Betancourt’s residence in Caracas, Venezuela. Several unrelated matters were discussed at this conference, including the subject covered in this memorandum.
[Facsimile Page 2]Oil Import Problem
President Betancourt at this point expressed Venezuela’s concern about United States restrictions on imports of Venezuelan oil, which is discussed in memorandum No. 1 of four submitted to President Kennedy by the Venezuelan President. He said this matter was extremely vital for Venezuela and he hoped that the United States Government would give it further study. He indicated that Venezuela was interested in increasing its quotas both for residual and crude oil, with emphasis on the latter. He said considerable harm was being [Typeset Page 523] done the Venezuelan oil industry by granting United States inland independent refineries oil quotas which they, in turn, assigned to other importers to the detriment of Venezuela.
When President Kennedy asked whether an increase in residual oil imports would help Venezuela, the Venezuelan President said this would indeed be helpful but any decrease in crude oil imports would seriously hurt the local industry.
Mr. Goodwin pointed out that the present quotas had been frozen for six months while a study was being made and there was no intention for the moment of decreasing Venezuelan crude imports.
President Kennedy stated that the United States might be able to assist Venezuela by increasing residual imports but crude was another matter. However, he promised to look into (1) residual oil; (2) increasing crude imports, and (3) the question of import licenses for inland refineries. He stated that a meeting on the oil problem had already been held and that another was scheduled for next week. To illustrate the problems connected with crude imports he explained that the key Senator on whom the success of his new trade program rested came from an oil-producing state.
Ambassador Mayobre said Juan Pablo Peréz Alfonzo, Venezuelan Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, was in New Orleans for medical treatment but planned to visit Washington early in January for discussions. President Kennedy said he did not plan to wait until January to look into the problem and added he would keep in touch personally with President Betancourt on the oil import program.
- Oil imports problem. Limited Official Use. 2 pp. DOS, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 149.↩