Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Foreign Minister of Mexico Manuel Tello, Ambassador of Mexico Rafael de la Colina, and Others

s/s DEPARTMENT OF STATE Thuman 6709 ARCHIVES "NATIONAL RECORDS AND 812 Memorandum of Conversation 97 DATE: April 6, 1951 SUBJECT: Mexican Participation in Korea PARTICIPANTS: Secretary of State Foreign Minister Manuel Tello Maj. Gen. Charles L. Bolte Ambassador Rafael de la Colina ARA:AR - Mr. Ivan White Brig. Gen. Alberto Salinas Carranza ARA - Mr. Thomas Mann COPIES TO: ARA:MID - Mr. Rubottom American Embassy, Mexico City 1-1493 It was arranged that I would meet with Mr. Tello in my office at the Pan American Union Building to discuss the problem of Mexican participation in military action in Korea. I commenced the conversation by referring to Mexico's support, in the deliberations of the United Nations, of the efforts of the free world to resist aggression in Korea and said that I hoped Mexico could, after due consideration, decide to contribute a division of troops. I recalled that in this connection the United States troops had now been fighting continuously for about nine months and that, because of the shortage of men in the United Nations lines, it had not been possible to put into effect the program of rotation which is desirable for several reasons. I said that there was a real need for Mexican troops and that I was confident, if the Mexican Government should find it possible to help, that Mexican troops would demonstrate their well- known fighting qualities. I also said that Mexico was one of the nations in this hemisphere able to play an effective role in Korea with a minimum of additional training and equipment. In this connection, I explained that under existing United States law, military equipment could be made available only on the basis of payment in dollars and, furthermore, that it was necessary to use the limited amount of military equipment available in Korea and other danger zones. Concerning equipment of forces for action in Korea, a different situation prevails in that it is legally DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and ((D) or (E) possible 5-12-76 Depr. of State letter, CONT IDBNT IAL By NLT- He NARS Date 6-2426