OD ADV MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION During the course of a call today on President Figueres on another matter, he himself brought up the pending fisheries question. explained to him the back ground and the course of negotiations to date.
The President said the fundarental factor in his government attitude was his own desire to develop a fish canning industry in Costa Rica not merely for the sake of producing canned fish but primarily for the byproducts which would be very valuable fertilizer. He said his experts all told him that a fish canning industry could not be made profitable in this country without some change in the American tariff Laws which would permit Costa Rican canned fish to compete in the American market, replied that could not make any commitments in that regard. The had indicated its desire to negotiate an agreemont with the Costa Rican Government for the purpose of preserving fishery resources and thought it quite possible that any tariff question that night exist could be discussed at that time. said that such negotiations take time, as do the present very satisfactory informal discussions now going on between the Embassy and the ministry of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry regarding certain details of the tax and fee aspects of the fishermen decrees. In the mean time there remains open the question which to ne is the fundamental one, namely Costa Rica assertion of sovereignty to the 200 mile linit. said so long as decree no. 116 remains in force Costa Rica is making that sovereignty claim which neither the United States nor any other maritime nation can recognize. said the British Government had also filed its reservations and that we both took quite a serious view about the matter.
The President intermipted with a smile to ask whether the British would be allied with us or Costa Rica if we went to war over the matter, replied in the same light vein that did not know who would be Britain ally but we could not recognize sovereedgty beyond the accepted three mile limit. told