At the same time the Ecuadorean Army is reported to be ready to install the Superior Commander of National Defense Forces, Colonel Ricardo Astudillo, as Dictator. Although trained in Rome, Colonel Astudillo is considered to be pro-American; he certainly is the "man on horse-back" in Ecuador today. So at the moment conditions are not propitious for negotiating a new treaty on the Galapagos. For this reason I did not attempt to talk with President Arroyo Del Rio during my one day visit to Quito in mid-March. But I did discuss the subject with our Ambassador there, Mr. Boaz Long, and with the President's closest personal and political adviser, Senator Caton Cardenas, who is well and favorably known to me as a man of sound judgment and great discretion. I carefully explained to Senator Cardenas your long standing interest in the Galapagos and the unique fauna and flora found there and how your interests had been enhanced by your visit in the "Houston" four years ago. I further outlined in very general terms the idea you have for making the Galapagos into an International Park for the preservation and perpetuation of wild-life. I ventured to suggest two ways by which this might be done: A) By outright sale of the Galapagos to the United States, and then our creating a Pan-American Board of Trustees to govern the Archipelago in the interests of science but under the protec- tion of theo United States. B) By an agreement between Ecuador and the United States under which Ecuador created the Pan- American Board of Trustees and technical sovereignty remained in the name of Ecuador, but the United States would pay the costs of administration, and we would police the Archi- pelago from a base leased to us for a long term of years. I made it explicitly clear that you had no idea of exerting any pressure to persuade Ecuador to take any course of action that was not entirely welcome to the government of Ecuador itself, that our government did not seek additional territory anywhere, that we would scrupulously observe the sovereignty of |