840.48 Refugees/611b: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Brazil (Scotten)
93. From the Under Secretary. The International Committee on Refugees meeting in London has elected as chairman Lord Winterton and as vice chairmen Senator Berenger of France, Myron Taylor for the United States and has further determined that the third vice chairman should be a designate of the Government of Brazil. It was the particular hope of the American delegate that because of the invaluable [Page 759] assistance rendered by Helio Lobo, the Brazilian delegate at the Evian conference, the latter might be designated by his Government. The Brazilian Government has informed Mr. Taylor through the Brazilian Ambassador in Paris that Lobo could not be sent to London and later it was ascertained that the Brazilian Government desired to name the Brazilian Commercial Attaché in London as its delegate. In view of the rank of the chairman and the other vice chairmen the Brazilian Commercial Attaché in London was not considered a satisfactory appointee by the British and French delegates and when this fact was communicated to the Brazilian Ambassador in Paris he later agreed, by instruction of his Government, that Brazil would accept the vice chairmanship with no specific person designated.
In view of the deep interest of this Government in the success of the conference and in view of the particularly helpful cooperation which the Brazilian Government has afforded, it would seem to be highly desirable that the Brazilian Government designate a suitable vice chairman whose position would be commensurate with the office which he will hold. I wish you would take this matter up informally with Aranha3 and say that I shall greatly appreciate it should it be possible for his Government to designate as its delegate and vice chairman a high ranking official of the Brazilian Government who can cooperate as ably with the American delegate and the other delegates as did Helio Lobo at Evian. Please telegraph me his views. [Welles.]4
- Oswaldo Aranha, Brazilian Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩
- Although The Chargé in Brazil was informed that Helio Lobo would be designated as vice chairman (telegram No. 187, August 4, noon, 840.48 Refugees/612), the Brazilian Government subsequently declined to assume a vice chairmanship of the Intergovernmental Committee; Brazil was represented, however, at meetings of the Committee in London by the Brazilian Ambassador and later by Mr. Lobo.↩