611.3231/996: Telegram
The Ambassador in Brazil ( Gibson ) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 27—6 p.m.]
200. Your 137, August 26, 6 p.m. In previous conversations including one yesterday afternoon I had already impressed upon Macedo Soares the arguments which are set forth in your telegram received today. However, I was glad to have them with the force of a message from you. I therefore called on the Foreign Minister again this afternoon and told him I thought that in view of our relations of confidence the best course was for me to read to him a personal telegram I had just received from the Secretary of State; I then translated your message as it stood. He accepted it in the best spirit; declared he was in full agreement with everything you said; that he quite realized the seriousness of the situation and proposed to do everything [Page 313] possible to secure early ratification. However in contrast to interviews with Gordon and Scotten, he offered no surmise as to the period required for ratification.
The Minister told me he had had a series of conversations with congressional leaders and had secured from reporter of the Agricultural Commission an undertaking to make immediate and favorable report which may be submitted tomorrow. The reporter of this Commission told a friend of mine yesterday that he and other leaders had been summoned by the Minister who “read the riot act to them”.
The Minister said he would go to see the President this afternoon and endeavor to impress upon him the necessity for him to take an active part in the drive for ratification. He said that while well disposed the President had been rather apathetic and that he needed to be stirred into action. He said that he would telephone me the results of his conversation some time this evening. The American Chamber of Commerce and other interests have made known to me their anxiety as to the delay particularly as it affects the unfreezing arrangement.
You may rest assured that I fully appreciate the importance of this situation. You will see from my telegrams 143, 144, 146, 172 and 176 from Buenos Aires,17 as well as various letters to Welles,18 that I have long been recommending that I get back to Brazil to give my attention to pending problems of which the most important but not the only one is that of the treaty. I trust under the circumstances that you will be disposed to act favorably upon the recommendations made in my 197, August 26, 11 a.m.