810.20 Defense/5–147
Minutes of Meeting of the Secretaries of State, War, and Navy
- Present
I. Latin American Arms Program (Inter-American Military Cooperation Act).
Decision:
It was agreed that the three Departments would support the reintroduction into Congress of the Inter-American Military Cooperation Act.
Implementing Action:
Necessary action to be undertaken to reintroduce the Bill. (No mention was made at the Meeting as to which Department would assume this responsibility.)
Discussion:
Secretary Patterson reviewed the War Department position with respect to this legislation. He said that the program outlined in this Bill was in line with the purposes of the Act of Chapultepec and our policy of defense of the Western Hemisphere. He pointed out that the President should be given the necessary discretion to aid the Latin American countries and Canada by providing them with American equipment and training their military forces according to American methods. He said that the success of our military missions in those countries depended upon our making available equipment of United [Page 114] States design. He added that if we did not provide the equipment that these nations would obtain it somewhere else. He said that it was very difficult to explain our vacillation in this arms program to our Latin American neighbors. Furthermore, our program to standardize Canadian equipment with ours will be aided by the passage of this Bill.
Secretary Forrestal said that the Navy Department supported the Bill wholeheartedly and was anxious to see early action on it.
Mr. Acheson said that he had over-ruled objections within his department against the Bill and that the State Department would now support it. He stated that there was one aspect, however, of the arms program which yet had to be resolved. This was the question of finding the dollars to pay for the cost of crating and transferring the equipment to the other American Republics. He said that it was estimated that it would take about 23 million dollars to package and ship the equipment which would be transferred under this Act. He pointed out that some of the countries could not raise the necessary funds, and furthermore there undoubtedly would be arguments as to whether we or they must meet these expenses. He pointed out that under the existing interim program it is still being argued as to who will meet these particular expenses.
Secretary Patterson said that the War Department is very anxious to get rid of its surplus equipment as it is very expensive to maintain it in condition. He added that it might be to our advantage to pay the costs of crating and delivery as it might be less than the maintenance cost. Secretary Forrestal said that the Navy Department was confronted with the same conditions—that the upkeep and overhead in keeping vessels in condition was extremely great.
General Hilldring said that it was his opinion that unless means were provided to furnish the necessary money to implement the Act, there would not be much accomplished in passing it. He said that he did not necessarily mean that the Act should be amended to provide funds for implementing it, but that he thought that there should be some agreement in the Committee that ways and means would be found to meet the necessary costs. Mr. Acheson said that Congress will certainly ask what costs will be involved in this legislation. He stated that we should be prepared to tell them that there will be probable cost to the U.S. in connection with transferring the equipment. On the other hand, it should be pointed out to Congress the costs involved in maintaining this equipment in condition within the U.S. Secretary Marshall said that he believed that he should make a frank statement to Congress of the costs involved in this program calling attention to the maintenance costs to the U.S. He said that it is possible that Congress will appropriate some of the funds necessary to carry out the proposed arms program.
[Page 115]Secretary Forrestal stated that passage of the Act was necessary to show our good faith toward our Western Hemisphere neighbors even though no specific commitment to them in this connection was involved. Secretary Patterson said that prompt action was necessary to introduce the bill in order to get consideration in this session of Congress.
There was general agreement that the legislation should be introduced.27
II. Construction of Naval Vessels in Argentina.
Decision:
It was agreed that consideration of the Argentine request should be deferred until reports have been received from Ambassador Messer-smith that the Argentine Government has taken satisfactory action to get rid of Nazi agents remaining in Argentina.
- Gen. John H. Hilldring, Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas.↩
- H. Wilcox Moseley, Special Assistant to General Hilldring.↩
- President Truman transmitted the bill with covering message to the Congress on May 26, 1947. For text of the President’s message and the draft bill, see Department of State Bulletin, June 8, 1947. Hearings were held on the proposed bill (H.R. 3836, 80th Congress, 1st session) on June 23, 25, 26, and July 2, and it was approved by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on July 17 after considerable amendment and modification; no further action was taken during 1947. For a statement by the Secretary of State before the House Committee on June 23, see the Bulletin, July 6, 1947, p. 5051.↩