<--PREV Doc #1364  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  Second Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #1366 Document #1365; November 7, 1959 To Alfredo Stroessner Series: EM, AWF, International Series: Paraguay The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XX - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace Part VIII: "Friends and Foes"; September 1959 to February 1960 Chapter 19: Khrushchev in America   Dear Mr. President: I have received your letter of September twenty-third, which was delivered by the Paraguayan Minister of Finance.1 I have noted your request for various transport aircraft and have instructed appropriate agencies of the Government to begin an immediate study of the request. Let me assure you that this matter will be accorded most careful consideration and that the result of the study will be communicated to your Government, through normal diplomatic channels, as soon as possible.2 Your vivid account of Paraguay’s heroic past and of her people’s dedication to peace, work and progress refers to a notable chapter in the history of the Americas. With respect to more recent times, I extend most sincere congratulations on what Paraguay has done, and continues to do, to promote economic and financial stability in order to build a solid foundation for the progress to which Paraguayans aspire and which they rightly merit. I appreciate your sending me the album of photographs showing the public works that are under way throughout the country. That Paraguay and the United States have been good friends and neighbors for a long time is evidenced by the fact that this year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between the two countries. We have, particularly in recent years, been endeavoring to cooperate with the Paraguayan people in their efforts to overcome the economic and social problems which have stood in the way of their aspirations to a better life. I am confident that this cooperation will continue to characterize relations between the peoples of our two countries. Permit me to extend my best wishes for the continued prosperity and progress of Paraguay, and for the enduring friendship which unites our two nations.3 Sincerely 1 This letter, drafted by State Department officials, was sent to the American embassy in Paraguay for delivery to President Stroessner on November 9 (see Herter to Eisenhower, Oct. 27, 1959, AWF/I: Paraguay). Stroessner had recounted the history of Paraguay, its struggle to survive after a devastating nineteenth-century war, its dedication to Pan-Americanism, and its friendship with the United States. He followed these pleasantries by asking Eisenhower for four DC-4 airplanes, six DC-3 airplanes, and six AT-6 training planes (AWF/I: Paraguay). César Barrientos was Paraguay’s finance minister. 2 For background on U.S. aid to Paraguay see Galambos and van Ee, The Middle Way, nos. 660 and 1925; see also State, Foreign Relations, 1958 - 1960, vol. V, American Republics, Microfiche Supplement, PA 3 - 5, 7. Eisenhower had told Secretary Herter that he doubted any of these old planes were still available. He also told Herter that "he would rather just say no than to give this sort of soft-soap reply which cast [him] in the role of a Pontius Pilate." For his part, Herter was particularly concerned about Paraguay’s ability to use the planes and wanted to return this kind of correspondence to the usual diplomatic channels (ibid., PA 9). This paragraph was expanded from the original draft to reflect Eisenhower’s desire to give Stroessner "a somewhat more definite commitment subject to further study" (AWF/I: Paraguay). 3 Although the United States would not provide the planes, the State Department would recommend that Paraguay be given a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, the World Bank) for the establishment of an economic development bank (Rubottom to Brand, Nov. 17, 1959, State, Foreign Relations, 1958 - 1960, vol. V, American Republics, Microfiche Supplement, PA 10; see also ibid., PA 12). Later, economic setbacks would prompt the Paraguayan government to ask for additional aid in the form of loans (New York Times, Feb. 20, 1960). Bibliographic reference to this document: Eisenhower, Dwight D. To Alfredo Stroessner, 7 November 1959. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 1365. 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/second-term/documents/1365.cfm <--PREV Doc #1364  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  Second Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #1366

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