Office of the Historian

710 Conference W and PW/1–3145: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Ecuador (Scotten)

Washington, February 2, 1945—2 p.m.

96. Reurtel 89, January 31, 11 a.m. Upon the receipt of your letter, Wright yesterday made it clear to Galo Plaza45 that we do not wish to discuss the Galápagos negotiations46 or any other similar bilateral [Page 24] negotiations with any of the American republics at the Mexico City conference. The conference will suffer if it is made the scene for a plethora of on-the-side deals between this government and others. This we are determined to avoid if at all possible. We want to keep the Galápagos negotiations in the normal channels where they now are and hope that we can move forward as rapidly as prudence may dictate.

Galo Plaza was told yesterday that we have had a confidential talk with Senators Connally and McKellar,47 as a result of which McKellar has agreed to hold off on the presentation of any resolution affecting the Galápagos for three or four weeks at least and that he will not present one without consulting the Department. However, we have promised Senator McKellar that we will give him a further report on the progress of the negotiations within two or three weeks. Plaza had told us earlier that he expected an attorney to come from Quito to Washington to discuss with him the form which the agreement will take and possibly the method of compensation. Plaza said that his brother who had just arrived brought him the latest news from Quito including the report that the Constitutional Assembly will probably close not later than February 15. However, Plaza is proceeding with the collection of certain data on what compensation Ecuador will wish and the form which this could best take and will present this to us in an informal way as soon as possible.

You need not at this time do anything further with respect to leases owing to the fact that we are examining the feasibility of a treaty arrangement which would obviate the necessity for any lease which Plaza said would be most distasteful to Ecuador.

Grew
  1. Ecuadoran Ambassador in the United States.↩
  2. For documentation on the discussions in 1944, see Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. vii, pp. 1052 ff. In telegram 124, February 13, 1945, noon, from Quito, not printed, Ambassador Scotten reported that the Minister for Foreign Affairs had agreed not to discuss the Galápagos negotiations at the Mexico City Conference (710 Conference W and PW/2–1345).↩
  3. Senators Tom Connally and Kenneth McKellar of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.↩