Memorandum of Telephone Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Under Secretary of the Navy Francis Whitehair

DECLASSIFIED 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