611.1294/12–1751
Memorandum by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for InterAmerican Affairs (Mann) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Miller)
Subject: Department’s Unnumbered Telegram of December 141 to Mexico City.
Attached is a copy of a telegram2 which I drafted on December 14 concerning the civil air negotiations with Mexico.3 During the lunch hour on December 14 Mr. Deak4 (AV) told me that the U.S. delegation had unanimously recommended giving a permanent exclusive to Mexico on the Mexico City–New Orleans route. His information was based on a telephone conversation with Mr. Barringer.
I told Mr. Deak that inasmuch as this was a departure from the agreed government position which had been cleared with President Truman,5 it seemed to me it was a matter which should be taken up with the White House. In this connection I recalled that at the meeting in Mr. Murphy’s office sometime ago I inquired of Mr. Nyrop what the maximum U.S. concession would be on Mexico’s desire for a monopoly on the Mexico City–New Orleans route, and that Mr. Nyrop had replied in Mr. Murphy’s presence that he would not agree to giving Mexico more than a three years’ head start.
The second point I raised with Mr. Deak was that this would be a departure from long standing CAB policy, which would complicate our civil air relations with other Latin American states and that we would have to insist on equal treatment for other Latin American countries.
Mr. Deak telephoned again in a few minutes and said he had been in touch with Mexico City since our conversation and that Mr. Barringer had told him that Mr. Stowe had personally cleared the monopoly question with President Truman before his departure for Mexico City. Mr. Deak also said that he had learned that the CAB had already telegraphed its concurrence with the delegation’s recommendation [Page 1509] and that a reply from State was urgently required since they were about to go into another meeting with the Mexicans.
I told Mr. Deak that under these circumstances I would reluctantly interpose no objection, although I foresaw that this would create difficulties for us, including difficulties in our negotiations with the Colombians and Venezuelans. Mr. Deak then proposed that we send a telegram which in effect would state that we concurred in the delegation’s recommendation, and I said that I would prefer that the record show exactly how this thing had developed, and thereupon drafted a telegram, a copy of which is attached.
This morning I called Mr. Deak to find out if he had any additional information, and he said that while there was no report from Mexico City, he had learned from Mr. Nyrop’s secretary that Mr. Nyrop had reported that “the next forty-eight hours would be critical” which caused Mr. Deak to suppose that even with this concession the Mexicans might not be agreeable. Mr. Deak had also heard from the same source that there would be no other departures from the position which had been agreed upon, although he did not know whether the maximum or minimum concessions would be made. Apparently the delegation plans to return on Thursday, December 20. In the meantime I have asked Gerry to send down a telegram asking for a telegraphic report of what is going on in Mexico.
- Sent as telegram 734, not printed.↩
- Not attached to the source text.↩
- A delegation from the United States, led by Mr. Nyrop, who was designated chairman, and Mr. Stowe, conducted negotiations concerning an air transport agreement with Mexican representatives at Mexico City, December 10–19, 1951. A detailed report and documentary record of the negotiations is filed under decimal file number 611.1294/12–1951.↩
- Francis Deak, Chief, Aviation Policy Staff, Office of Transport and Communications Policy.↩
- In a memorandum for the files, dated November 23, 1951, Mr. Barringer noted in part that he had been informed by Mr. Nyrop that the latter had received a telephone call from Mr. Murphy at Key West, Florida, “stating that the President had approved the basis of an exchange of air routes with Mexico as outlined in the Civil Aeronautics Board’s letter to the State Department dated October 12.” (611.1294/11–751)↩