Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1938, The American Republics, Volume V

822.6341 South American Development Co./67a

The Department of State to the Ecuadoran Embassy⁴⁷

Memorandum

On January 28, 1938, the Department of State presented to the Ecuadoran Ambassador in Washington a memorandum setting forth that certain policies and actions of the Government of Ecuador were causing considerable concern to American interests in Ecuador. The memorandum concluded with an expression of hope that opportunity might be afforded the legitimate interests of the United States “to discuss their problems in a friendly manner with representatives of the Ecuadoran Government, and that solutions, based upon equity, may be found which will safeguard the best interests of all concerned.” Subsequently, and with regard to revisions that have been requested in the contract of one American company operating in Ecuador, the Department of State, without in any way endeavoring to pass upon the merits of the position of the Ecuadoran Government or of the company, informally, and in an entirely friendly fashion, made known to the Government its hope that in view of the far-reaching aspects of the requested revisions, a reasonable period of time might be given to the company to consider the matter. In response, the Government of Ecuador, “in view of the never-forgotten friendship for the Government of the United States and in order to demonstrate its spirit of equanimity and justice” granted an extension to the company.

It was, therefore, with surprise and with disappointment that the Department of State has learned that the Government of Ecuador has given a statement to the press indicating its belief that the Department of State has acted “officiously” and has intervened in the domestic affairs of Ecuador. This statement has caused surprise because of the well-known and well-established policy of this Administration not to intervene in the internal and external affairs of any nation, a policy embodied in two inter-American treaties,⁴⁸ both of which have been ratified by and have the unqualified support of this Government. The statement has caused disappointment because the Department was motivated solely out of long friendship and a desire in an entirely informal way to inform the Government of Ecuador of the current views of American interests in Ecuador with regard to certain pending policies.

The Department’s informal and friendly actions have been in complete harmony and conformity with the good neighbor policy that seeks, through exchanges of views undertaken in a spirit of understanding and mutual confidence, to prevent the development of situations that might adversely affect the cordial relations among the American Republics.

Washington , February 9, 1938.

47. Handed to the Ecuadoran Ambassador by Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles on February 9, 1938.
48. Convention on Rights and Duties of States, December 26, 1933, Foreign Relations, 1933, vol. iv, p. 214; Additional Protocol Relative to Non-intervention, December 23, 1936, Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 1–23, 1936 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1937), Appendix 16, p. 124.