<--PREV Doc #664  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  First Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #666 Document #665; January 16, 1954 To John Foster Dulles Series: EM, AWF, Dulles-Herter Series The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XV - The Presidency: The Middle Way Part IV: "Pushing ahead along the broad center"; December 1953 to March 1954 Chapter 8: A world "racing toward catastrophe"   Dear Foster: Herewith another letter from Mr. Harry Guggenheim on the matter of the proper organization through which to handle our South American affairs.1 I think the big difficulty with his scheme is to find a man for this job of the stature that he describes. In any event, when you and I talked about this briefly, I believe that we agreed we should try to implement some of his recommendations. I note that now he makes them specific as: (a). A Special Ambassador for Latin America. (b). A Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Treaties. (c). An Advisory Committee for Latin America. (d). The retention of a career technician in the post of Assistant Secretary of State for South American Affairs. Let's have a talk about this at your convenience. In the meantime I will acknowledge Mr. Guggenheim's letter.2 As ever 1 Guggenheim had written on January 6 asking for consideration of the six recommendations he had made the previous summer to help focus U.S. attention on Latin America (WHCF/OF 116-J: Latin America). Among the recommendations was the appointment of an ambassador-at-large of such stature that the countries in that area could not mistake our commitment to better relations (see no. 376). Guggenheim was writing again, he said, "only because of my deep conviction that Latin America is being lost by default to the great detriment of the United States." 2 Eisenhower would respond on this same day (AWF/D), thanking Guggenheim for his recommendations: "I personally could add some evidence out of my own recent experiences to help substantiate certain of your contentions; by no means are our relationships with the countries to the south everything that they should be." Later, Secretary Dulles would agree to meet with Guggenheim to explore his recommendations (Telephone conversation, Hall and Dulles, May 25, 1954, Dulles Papers, Telephone Conversations). For further developments in U.S. relations with Latin America see no. 937. Bibliographic reference to this document: Eisenhower, Dwight D. To John Foster Dulles, 16 January 1954. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 665. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/first-term/documents/665.cfm <--PREV Doc #664  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  First Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #666

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