Sir,
I have the honour to refer to your despatch No. 291 of December 24 informing us of overtures made to you on three occasions by the Colombian Ambassador to Peru concerning the exchange of diplomatic missions between Canada and Colombia.

2. I note that in your reply to Dr. Fernândez¹ you pointed out the difficulties which exist at present for Canada and that the Ambassador requested that you should write to convey information about his overtures to you. To complete your records, I am enclosing a copy of our despatch to the British Ambassador to Colombia which by an oversight, was not sent to you at that time. As you will notice in paragraph three of that despatch, reference is made to the statement of the Colombian Ambassador in Brazil that his colleague in Lima had been asked to discuss the question with you. I may add, that when Mr. Désy conveyed to the Colombian Ambassador in Brazil our regrets at being unable to open a mission at the present time, he was informed that the President of Colombia was anxious to reach an agreement for an exchange of missions before his term of office expired in August of this year. We asked Mr. Désy to tell the Ambassador that this fact would be kept in mind, but added, for his own information, that it would seem highly dubious that our staff situation would improve sufficiently by that time to make possible the desired exchange.

3. There is no slackening of the interests of Latin American countries in promoting exchanges with Canada. Since our expression of regret at our inability to establish diplomatic relations with Bolivia, Colombia and Uruguay, we have had parallel requests from Ecuador and Panama to whom the same answer has been given. It is, I think, the feeling in the Department that when conditions make possible the establishment of diplomatic relations with other Latin American countries, those deserving of first consideration are Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela. I have etc.

R. M. MACDONNELL for the Secretary of State for External Affairs

¹ Ambassadeur de Colombie au Pérou.
Ambassador of Colombia in Peru.