Memorandum of Conversation with President Harry S. Truman, Ambassador Felix Nieto del Rio of Chile, Alberto Baltra, and Stanley Woodward, with Related Material

mmn DEGLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) DEPARTMENT OF STATE E.0.10501 BYNLTHW NARS Date 6-23-75 Memorandum of Conversation DATE: June 20, 1949 SUBJECT: Chilean Economy The President PARTICIPANTS: The Chilean Ambassador, Señor Félix Nieto del Rfo The Chilean Minister of Economy and Commerce, Señor Alberto Baltra The Chief of Protocol, Mr. Woodward E COPIES TO: ARA NWC ITP OFD ARCHIVES AND RECORDS SERVICE'* epo 1-1493 12:15 The Chilean Ambassador called on the President today at p.m. and brought with him Señor Alberto Baltra, Chilean Minister of Economy and Commerce. After an exchange of courtesies Señor Baltra spoke at some length about the adverse effect the drop in the price of copper had had on Chilean economy. A copy of the aide mémoire he used in his discussion is attached hereto. At the end of Señor Baltra's statement the President re- plied that he was familiar with the problem, that he wished to assure the Government of Chile our Government was friendly, and that we would take into consideration the Chilean copper problem and study it sympathetically. The President stated that he could not give a categoric answer to any of the points made by Señor Baltra. He expected, he said, a delegation from the Congress to call on him in a day or two concerning our domestic copper mines in Utah, Montana, and Colorado where several thousand men are now out of work. Perhaps, the President thought, the only solution would be a larger consumption of copper. Ambassador RESTRIOTED