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