May 18th, 1951

Washington, DC

Following the agreement of the Venezuelan-American Loan and the associated establishment of a Technical Assistance Program office in Caracas, numerous American technical advisors have begun assisting Venezuelan architects and engineers in a number of large-scale infrastructure projects. While some of these advisors are for specific specialty matters, such as dam construction, the vast majority are focused on far more simple matters, such as organizational improvements, better financial planning, materials sourcing, staff training, etc. Noticing this, a few officers of the Caracas TAP office approached American and Venezuelan representatives, and proposed a more comprehensive organization focused on infrastructure construction, especially noting that both nations have a number of infrastructure specialists focused on large-scale engineering in adverse environments.

What followed were months of discussion on how to best create such an organization to the most benefit of both Venezuela and the United States, focusing on longevity of the body and future training of engineers. The resulting proposition, which has now been accepted by both states, is a Venezuelan-American Infrastructure Consortium (VAIC), a body staffed by engineers and infrastructure specialists from both nations which will serve as an advisory party for infrastructure developments in the US and Venezuela that focus on unique, terrain-specific challenges. Initial work will be done to assist the construction of the Caracas-La Guaira Highway, the Marcaibo Bridge, and Macagua Dam in Venezuela, with future endeavors to be referred to the VAIC by the Caracas TAP office.

The VAIC is to be headquartered in Washington, DC, with an equal-partnership office being established in Caracas. Initial staffing will be comprised of experts recommended by the Caracas TAP office, and approved by representatives from both the United States and Venezuela. Future membership and policies will be determined by the VAIC itself.