Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, The Far East, Volume V

811B.01/643

The Secretary of State to the Philippine Resident Commissioner to the United States (Elizalde)

Washington, March 24, 1944.

My Dear Mr. Elizalde: Reference is made to Mr. Stettinius’ letter of February 29, in reply to your letter of February 24, 1944,¹² regarding a proposal to establish an Office of Exterior Relations and National Economy as a part of the Commonwealth Government and referring to other matters associated with that proposal.

The Department is not unmindful of the desirability of having within the Commonwealth Government a regularly organized and smoothly functioning department which would deal adequately with many of the matters to which reference is made in your letter of February 9 to President Quezon.¹³ In that connection the Department has assumed that President Quezon would not wish, in advance of the complete independence of the Philippines as pledged in the Act of March 24, 1934, to take any step which would nullify the right of this Government, when and where the need arises, to act on behalf of the Commonwealth Government and all matters concerning its foreign relations. Reference to Section 2, paragraph 10, of the above mentioned Act will show that it was the clear intent of the Congress that the foreign relations of the Commonwealth Government should be under the direct supervision and control of the Government of the United States until such time as the Philippines become free and independent. In view of this condition and notwithstanding the Philippines even now possess many of the attributes of an independent state, the Department does not feel that it would be free to acquiesce at this time in the establishment of any department, bureau or office in the Commonwealth Government possessing functions which would permit it directly to conduct relations of a diplomatic character with foreign governments in a capacity such as is customarily vested in a Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With the understanding, therefore, that jurisdiction in such matters would remain, as at present prescribed by act of Congress, with the Government of the United States until full independence is granted to the Philippines, the Department would certainly offer no objection if President Quezon should establish a bureau or office in the Commonwealth Government designed to work specifically along the lines described in the second and third paragraphs of page three of your letter of February 9 to President Quezon, namely, to make a thorough study of trade treaties and their possibilities with respect to the Philippines, to make plans for the organization of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of a Foreign Service to function when the Philippines become independent, to effect a better liaison between the Commonwealth Government and the Department of State, to effect a method of exchanging information between the Commonwealth Government and the Department of State on Pacific affairs and on all subjects of actual or possible concern to the Philippines, and to effect coordination in all matters relating to special studies and special researches undertaken to promote the mutual interests of the two governments. I am sure that a bureau or office created to deal exclusively with such matters would be of the greatest benefit to the Commonwealth Government pending the granting of full independence.

With reference to the training of a limited number of pensionados, as mentioned in President Quezon’s letter to you of February 16, 1944,¹⁴ the Department is prepared to offer facilities for training in diplomatic and consular work to a few especially selected young men whom the Commonwealth Government might recommend for that purpose. It would be expected that no young man would be recommended for this training who had not, in advance of his appointment, been given a deferred status by the Selective Service System for a cause satisfactory to the Department. If the Commonwealth Government should decide to avail itself of this offer, the details of the arrangement could be worked out at a later date between representatives of the Commonwealth Government and of the Department of State. It would scarcely be possible to afford facilities, initially, for more than ten or twelve pensionados, but it might be possible to increase this number later if so desired by the Commonwealth Government and if in practice it is found that the plan is feasible.

This letter is intended to be an acceptance in principle of the suggestion looking to the training of a limited number of pensionados in the manner described above. To the end that arrangements may be concluded with as little delay as possible the Department is prepared to designate a representative, or representatives, to confer with one or more representatives of the Commonwealth Government at such time as may be mutually agreed upon to devise a plan which will make available to the appointees a broad and useful training program. The Department stands ready to lend its fullest cooperation in this matter in every feasible way.¹⁵

Sincerely yours,

Cordell Hull

12. Neither printed.
13. Not printed; copy transmitted to the Department with letter of February 24.
14. Not printed; copy transmitted to the Department with Mr. Elizalde’s letter of February 24.
15. On December 29, 1944, the Chief of the Division of Philippine Affairs sent to the Philippine Secretary of Finance at Washington (Hernandez) an “informal and unofficial” memorandum entitled “Preparations for the Handling of the Future Foreign Affairs of the Philippine Republic” (811B.021/12–2944). No copy of this memorandum has been found in Department files. The transmitting letter cited an earlier memorandum handed to President Quezon by Francis B. Sayre, United States High Commissioner to the Philippines, at an undisclosed date. This memorandum, of identical title, not printed, was prepared in the Office of Philippine Affairs on June 4, 1940, and transmitted by the Secretary of State to the High Commissioner on June 11, 1940 (811B.01/450a).