571. Letter From President Nixon to President Stroessner of Paraguay1 2

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Dear Mr. President:

Thank you for your thoughtful letter of July 20 which expresses your grave concern for Paraguay’s military assistance needs. Since I recall with great pleasure my meetings with you in Asuncion, and the hospitality of the Paraguayan people, I regret that my heavy schedule prevented me from personally receiving your Ambassador, Dr. Roque Avila. However, as you know, I asked my Assistant for National Security Affairs, Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, to meet with Dr. Avila and report to me fully on your message.

Let me assure you that my Government values the traditional good relations which exist between Paraguay and the United States and that we wish to be as helpful as possible in meeting your request for assistance. I must state frankly, however, that present circumstances have placed serious constraints upon our ability to provide increased military assistance. Congressional appropriations for military assistance have been decreasing in the face of increased domestic needs and the requirements for stabilizing the situation in Southeast Asia. Over the last several years, the United States Government has been required to reduce the level of defense assistance in various regions of the world. In applying these reductions during my Administration, I have sought to weigh the relative security problems throughout the Free World and to avoid imbalances because of changes in the level of our aid. Unfortunately grant materiel assistance programs for many countries, including Paraguay, have had to be terminated and the prospects for their resumption are not favorable.

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Nonetheless, in response to your request for additional military assistance, I have asked the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, Charles A. Meyer, to review the list of materiel which you provided and to determine if any of the equipment requested could be made available to Paraguay from the surplus military equipment which we sometimes have available for granting to our allies. In addition, I have requested authorization from the Congress to allow me to provide credit to friendly states for the purchase of military equipment. While this legislation is still pending and the anticipated ceiling set by the Congress on authorizations is very low, I have asked Mr. Meyer to explore the possibility of designating Paraguay as one of those countries to which some credit might be extended. I have asked Mr. Meyer to contact Ambassador Avila as soon as he has completed his review of the situation.

I recognize, Mr. President, that my response to your letter is not as favorable as I would have desired. However, good relations between our two countries would not be served by my being less than candid. I assure you of my desire to be as helpful as circumstances permit, and I have so instructed the appropriate officials of my Government.

With best personal regards.

Sincerely,

Richard Nixon
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, DEF 19–8 US–PAR. No classification marking. Nixon wrote at the bottom of the letter: “I recall with great pleasure my visit to Paraguay in 1958.” A telegraphic copy of Stroessner’s letter of July 20 is published as Document 569.
  2. President Nixon replied to President Stroessner’s request for U.S. military assistance. Even though he stated that the prospect for restoring cuts in Military Assistance Program (MAP) assistance did not look likely, Nixon said he would request authorization from Congress for credit for the purchase of military equipment.