Memorandum of Telephone Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Under Secretary of the Navy Francis Whitehair
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OCR Page 1 of 3DECLASSIFIED
E. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E)
Dept. O. of State letter, Aug.
2/2/75
THERE
OFFICE OF
936
HC , NARS Date 5.4.26
THE SECRETARY
By NLT.
ARCHIVES NATIONAL SERVICE" RECORDS AND
98
March 20, 1952
GONFIDENTIAL
S/S
Secretary Acheson telephoned Mr. Whitehair, Under Secretary
of the Navy, and said that Mr. Lovett had told him of the incident
of seven shrimp boats which had been apprehended by Mexico,
which country claimed the boats were within their territorial
waters. (Mexico claims nine miles, while the United States
maintains the territorial limit is three miles.)
Three of the
boats are at Zamora, four of them at Carmen. The Secretary
said that we do not have a Consul at these remote places but
have dispatched people to both ports. He said we had not had an
official report but had heard that the crews of the boats were not
in jail but were allowed to stay on their boats and could go
into port to get ice, water, et cetera. The Secretary said that
he understood that Mr. Whitehair had had information that
there were 20 more shrimp boats operating out of Punta Gorda,
Florida, and that eight of these boats were reported to have
set sail with armed crews and were probably heading for the
Mexican ports in order to try to release the seven captured
boats.
Mr. Whitehair verified this last information and said
that he had gotten it from a Mr. Hathaway, the owner of some
of the boats who had telephoned him to say that eight boats had put
to sea. Mr. Hathaway had also reported that the women and
children were very upset but that the shrimp boat crews are a
determined lot and were probably bent on making trouble. He
said Mr. Lovett had asked him immediately to find out where
Navy and Coast Guard vessels were operating in that area
and to await a telephone call from Mr. Acheson.
The Secretary said that we had a duty under international
law to halt any ships which we knew were taking off from
our shores with hostile intentions against another country. He
said he thought the best course would be for the Navy or Coast
Guard vessels to locate the eight boats which have already set
sail
CONFIDENTIAL
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