Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XII, American Republics

96. Memorandum of Conversation¹

Washington, April 11, 1962, 5:40 p.m.

SUBJECT

• Inter-American Defense College²

PARTICIPANTS

• The President
• Mr. Edwin M. Martin, Assistant Secretary of State, ARA

His Excellency Dr. Jose Antonio Mayobres, Ambassador of Venezuela

Ambassador Mayobre indicated that all he wanted to talk about was the Inter-American Defense College. He expressed previously known views that to bring senior officers to Washington for nontechnical, political training would, in the Latin American climate, inevitably stimulate their interest in taking political power. He also thought that bringing just a group of Latin Americans together might establish a mutually supported network of Latin American military interested in taking power. Apart from these objections of principle he thought this was a particularly bad time to set up such an institution in view of the Argentine crisis and that leftist elements would attack it most vociferously.

He went on to say that, while in the recent discussions and in the vote this morning, only Brazil and Mexico had stood with Venezuela, he knew for a fact that many other governments were strongly opposed to the proposition but had only voted for it because of strong outside pressures, and in view of their unwillingness to stand up to their own military, which very much wanted the College. In response to a request from the President he listed at least half the countries of Latin America as being in reality opposed.

Assistant Secretary Martin pointed out that this was not what the governments had told the United States and there might be some difference of view between delegations and governments. He also pointed out that while we had a real appreciation of the problem with which the Ambassador was concerned, we felt that the curriculum could be so handled as to have the opposite effect and that he knew the people involved and was sure they would be quite happy to work in this direction.

The President felt it of great importance to get the American military and the Latin American military better acquainted with each other so they could work together better on the common hemispheric problems in the military field. The President said he could not help but believe that close association with American military, who understood so well the need to subordinate the military power to the civilian, would be helpful in dealing with the problem with which the Ambassador was concerned.

On the other hand, we would not want to push through a project which was in reality opposed by a substantial number of Latin American governments. He knew that many of them had soldiers up here for training at Bragg and many other places and this seemed to be helpful. He felt that some way should be found to review the organization and curriculum of the new College in a way to avoid the difficulties which the Ambassador’s Government feared. He felt the institution had a role to perform and it would be very unfortunate to abandon the project at this stage by confessing that we could not reach agreement. He asked the Ambassador to consult some of the other governments which were concerned and then talk to Assistant Secretary Martin and see if some solution could not be worked out which would meet the problems which had been raised.

[After he had left the President’s office, the Ambassador indicated to Mr. Martin that one helpful move might be a carefully worded statement at the time the OAS announces that the College is to be established, which would emphasize the democratic and civilian objectives of the training to be provided. He told Assistant Secretary Martin that he would consult his colleagues and be in touch with him in about a week.]³

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 371.7553/4-1162. Confidential. Drafted by Martin and approved by the White House on April 19. The meeting was held at the White House.
2. The Inter-American Defense Board agreed on December 19, 1961, to establish an Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair in Washington. On April 11 the OAS Council approved a resolution finding no impediment to the establishment of the Defense College, thus overruling the position put forward by Mexico and Venezuela that the Board lacked authority to create it and that the OAS Council thus had no responsibility to fund its operating expenses. Documentation on this subject is ibid., 371.7553.
3. Brackets in the source text.