“Carrasquel Day” was the brainchild of Walter Donnelly, U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, who, it was reported, had suggested this “baseball diplomacy” focus attention upon the United States as a land of opportunity for all.
“Ambassador Donnelly always has been a great believer in baseball as a common denominator among people,” said Frederick Kuhn, press attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and spokesman for the ambassador. “Therefore, when there recently was an outbreak by the misguided young (Communists) in which they stoned the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the ambassador felt that something should be done. Since Carrasquel, a native Venezuelan, was doing so well for the White Sox, he hit upon the idea of having a ‘Carrasquel Day,’ with a baseball delegation from Venezuela to participate in it.
“It gave us the opportunity to bring some of the people from the poorer class to the United States. Three players, one each from the eastern, central and western sections of Venezuela, were chosen by lot to make the trip. They will be the best witnesses against Communism that we could find. We have taken them everywhere, shown them everything they wanted to see, with the accent on how our working people live.”
In an April 1951 issue of Collier’s magazine, Donnelly would be quoted as saying, “The reaction to the trip was terrific and I honestly believe it was a severe setback to Communist propagandists in Venezuela. Under no circumstances could a similar trip have been made to Russia or any of the satellite countries.”