Office of the Historian

4. Memorandum of Meeting1

LATF-M/1
Washington, February 2, 1961, 4:15 p.m.

TASK FORCE ON LATIN AMERICA

PARTICIPANTS

  • Adolf A. Berle, Jr., Chairman
  • Thomas C. Mann, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs
  • John M. Leddy, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs
  • Theodore C. Achilles, Counselor of Department of State
  • Lincoln Gordon, Consultant
  • Haydn Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • Wymberly Coerr, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs
  • Robert M. Sayre, Executive Secretary

The meeting commenced at 4:15 p.m.

Mr. Berle briefly explained the purpose of the Task Force. It is an action and not a study group, acting under the direction of the Secretary of State and the President. The Task Force does not supersede the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs which remains responsible for foreign policy operations with respect to Latin America. The Task Force is to insure that problems get the prompt attention of the Secretary of State and the President and that the decisions taken are carried out. It has the longer range responsibility of obtaining general agreement on policies and launching those policies.

[Here follows section 1, “Assistance to Brazil.”]

2. Financial Resources for Latin American Area

It was agreed that the request to the Congress for appropriations of $500 million to fulfill the U.S. commitment under the Act of Bogota [Page 6] should be handled separately and not be included in the Mutual Security Program.

The Task Force discussed the question as to whether there should be included in a request for a contingency appropriation soon to be submitted to the Congress a request for $50 million to initiate the program. It was stated that ICA now has ready some $78 million in projects it can initiate immediately. No decision was reached.

The Task Force discussed the distribution of the $500 million fund between the Inter-American Bank and ICA. It had been tentatively agreed within the Executive Branch that $375 million would go to the Inter-American Bank. The Task Force agreed to seek a new decision from the present Administration which would either confirm or modify this division.

(Mr. Leddy departed at this time.)

[Here follow sections 3, “Arms Traffic in the Caribbean” and 4, “Cuba.”]

  1. Source: Department of State, Latin America Task Force Files: Lot 61 D 298, Task Force on Latin America, Minutes. Secret. Drafted by Sayre.↩