832.5151/1140: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery)
83. Eugene P. Thomas, American member of the New York Mixed American-Brazilian Committee,29 has discussed with the Department the possibility of a joint meeting of the New York and Rio de Janeiro Committees in Rio de Janeiro for the purpose of discussing problems of foreign exchange. The Brazilian member, Mr. Penteado, is sailing from New York today, and Thomas suggests that it might be desirable for the joint meeting to be held while Ambassador Brandão30 and Penteado are in Rio.
It is understood that such a meeting would be held only on invitation from the Brazilian Government. The Department does not know what steps have been taken to assure such an invitation being issued, but if you have occasion to discuss this with the Brazilian Government, you should recall that it was the hope of the two Governments in establishing these Committees that they might be of use in bringing problems and suggestions to the attention of the Governments, but you should stress the understanding reached at the time they were [Page 351] established that the Committees were to act in a purely private capacity and that while this Government hopes that the Committees may perform a useful function, it is not to be interpreted as having suggested this meeting or as being in any way committed to any of the suggestions which the American members might make.
Please cable any views or comments which you may have to make upon such a proposed meeting.