Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The American Republics, Volume VI

816.6363/86

The Ambassador in El Salvador (Thurston) to the Secretary of State

No. 839

San Salvador, October 9, 1943.
[Received October 14.]

Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s airgram instruction No. 326 of July 26, 1943, 7:00 p.m.,³⁸ requesting a re-examination of the requirements of El Salvador for petroleum products for all agencies, firms and individuals to be supplied on an essential basis, and to this Embassy’s despatch No. 692 of August 25, 1943 written in reply, and particularly to the section on the Coffee Industry appearing on page 3³⁹ and the Conclusions appearing on page 6, in which it was stated that the question of motor gasoline and diesel oil necessary for handling the 1943/1944 coffee crop would require further investigation and would be dealt with in a subsequent despatch.

The Salvadoran Sub Comité de Combustibles, the local rationing agency, and the local pool committee have now completed their study of the requirements for the coffee season in question, which extends from October 1, 1943 to June 30, 1944, inclusive, their report has just been received by this Embassy and it is transmitted in full herewith,³⁸ The figures compiled and the conclusions drawn have been investigated by this Embassy in collaboration with Mr. W. W. Renwick, President of the Salvadoran Committee of Economic Coordination. It is the opinion of the Embassy that the request for 284,965 gallons of motor gasoline and 294,744 gallons of diesel oil represents a reasonably just and equitable scheduling of El Salvador’s requirements for these two petroleum products for the coffee crop as an essential industry for the period mentioned. It is recommended that amounts in as close conformity as possible with these estimates be set up in the new general petroleum products schedule for El Salvador.⁴¹

Respectfully yours,

Walter Thurston

38. Not printed.
39. This section of despatch No. 692 not printed.
38. Not printed.
41. The requested allocations of 284.965 gallons of gasoline and 294.744 gallons of diesel oil to be supplied for the coffee crop during the period October 1, 1943, to June 30, 1944 inclusive, were reported approved by the Department in its telegram No. 247 of November 9 to the Embassy in El Salvador (816.6363/91).