821.20/4–1949
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
| Participants: | The Secretary |
| Sr. Eduardo Zuleta Angel, Colombian Foreign Minister | |
| Gen. Germán Ocampo, Colombian Minister of Defense | |
| Dr. Gonzalo Restrepo-Jaramillo, Colombian Ambassador | |
| S. T. Mills, NWC1 |
Dr. Zuleta Angel, the Colombian Foreign Minister for Foreign Affairs stated he wished to discuss two matters with me, arms for the Colombian army and loan applications by Colombia to the Eximbank and the International Bank.
With respect to arms the Foreign Minister stated Colombia wished to reequip its army which during the course of the past year had been expanded from eight thousand to twenty-five thousand. Such arms, he pointed out, were needed in order to maintain internal order and not for use against other countries. Dr. Zuleta referred to the disorders which occurred in Bogotá during April 1948. At that time, he stated, the police force disintegrated so that at present the expanded Colombian army must act both as a police force and army. Although it might seem paradoxical, Dr. Zuleta stated the army was important to continental defense as well as for the maintenance of internal order. The reason for this is that if the Communists gain a foothold in Colombia, this will menace other countries; in his opinion it is absolutely essential [Page 606] that law and order be maintained in Colombia and the Communist Fifth Column menace neutralized. The expanded army exists today but it is not capable of fulfilling this task without proper arms and equipment. Dr. Zuleta referred to the fact that General Marshall, Mr. Armour, Mr. Harriman, Mr. Martin and Mr. Daniels were at Bogotá at the time of the riots last year.2 He stated they would not have to be convinced of Colombia’s needs. He added that General Ocampo had had a force of only eight thousand men and it had been a miracle that the communist menace had been repelled. Colombia cannot count on this miracle being repeated. For this reason the army must be properly equipped.
I explained to Dr. Zuleta that on two occasions President Truman had requested authority from Congress to contract for the purchase of arms for transfer to other countries, and twice Congress had failed to grant such authority. At the present time, I continued, this Government is preparing a further request for legislation in this sense. Considerable opposition to granting this new request exists not only in Congress but throughout the country. I stated that the smallest part of the opposition comes from church people, pacifists and radicals. Much more important opposition comes from those elements within Congress and throughout the country who are worried about the expense. Already our budget is about one billion dollars in the “red” and this fact is not lost on those that oppose the requested arms legislation.
I then stated we probably will not get nearly what we shall request from Congress and we shall have to give first Priority to those areas where the pressure is the greatest, that is the Middle East (Turkey, Iran, Greece), Western Europe from the Scandinavian countries to France, and the Far East (Korea and possibly the Philippines). I added that after taking care of these most pressing needs then we certainly shall consider the needs of our other friends. Another part of the proposed legislation, I explained, would authorize the United States to contract for arms and transfer them to foreign countries at cost prices which of course will make them very expensive. I told the Foreign Minister I had seen General Marshall on several occasions after his return from Bogotá last year and there was no doubt in the Department of State regarding Colombia’s needs.
[Page 607]I suggested that shortages varied and since the Colombian need, I assumed, was largely for police equipment, rather than for such items as planes (which are in very short supply) and heavy armament, it might be that such needs would be somewhat easier to fill. General Ocampo replied that Colombia wanted a little of everything including planes, heavy armament and launches as well as rifles.
Dr. Zuleta stated that there are two pressures, the Soviet armies in Europe and the Communist Fifth Column in the Americas and he found it difficult to decide which pressure is the greatest. A second point he wished to make is that Colombia’s requests are infinitesimal, that as compared with the hundreds of thousands or millions of men the United States may be called upon to equip for Western Europe, Colombia only wished equipment for a mere twenty-five thousand men.
The second topic raised by Dr. Zuleta was the matter of applications for loans to the Eximbank and the International Bank. He stated that Colombia must meet the communist menace not only by equipping its army but by economic measures. He pointed out that following a conversation last year with General Marshall and Mr. Armour, he had formed a government consisting of six conservatives, six liberals and General Ocampo in charge of the army. That government had remained stable and he believed it would continue to guarantee stability. He stated that it had been particularly hard work to achieve harmony with conditions as they were in Colombia after the riots of April 1948, but that recovery had been remarkable. The only two elements still needed to complete recovery are equipment for the army and the loans solicited from the Eximbank and the International Bank.
I told the Foreign Minister I had been informed regarding the Colombian application to the Eximbank3 and I understood the Bank had agreed to consider such a loan provided Colombia took certain measures which had been recommended by the International Monetary Fund. I understood that Colombia had taken measures of this character and the Bank is now examining the whole situation. I assured the Minister that the Department was sympathetic to Colombia’s needs and would continue to urge the Bank to give the Colombian application as sympathetic consideration as the situation makes possible.
- Sheldon T. Mills, Chief of the Division of North and West Coast Affairs.↩
- Secretary of State George C. Marshall, Assistant Secretary of State Norman Armour, Secretary of Commerce W. Averelli Harriman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of Washington William McChesney Martin, and Mr. Daniels were all members of the U.S. delegation to the Ninth International Conference of American States, held in Bogotá, March 30–April 2, 1948.↩
- For documentation on Colombia’s application for a $20 million credit from the Export-Import Bank, see the compilation on U.S. efforts to provide economic and financial assistance to Colombia in Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. ix, pp. 438 ff.↩