832.5151/1266
The Acting Secretary of State to the President of the National Foreign Trade Council, Inc. (E. P. Thomas)
My Dear Mr. Thomas: The receipt is acknowledged of your letter of November 23, 1938,49 addressed to Assistant Secretary of State Francis B. Sayre, concerning the Brazilian exchange situation, and your letter addressed to me on the same date,49 referring to our conversation on November 22 in this regard. In the latter communication, you state that you expect to arrive in Rio de Janeiro about January 8, 1939, at which time you believe it would be helpful to hold a meeting of the members of the United States-Brazilian Commercial Committee in Rio de Janeiro, with the members of the New York Committee who are in Rio de Janeiro at that time also in attendance.
The Embassy at Rio de Janeiro is being advised of the probable date of your arrival at Rio de Janeiro and of your belief that a meeting of the members of the two Committees would be helpful at that time. The Chargé d’Affaires has been requested to facilitate your obtaining information in every appropriate way and to extend to you any other assistance that may be practicable.
The Department naturally desires to receive the observations and suggestions of the United States-Brazilian Commercial Committees which were established for that purpose in New York and Rio de Janeiro, respectively, on January 21, 1938. It is my understanding, however, that the two Committees were to take action on their own [Page 371] initiative to study the best means of developing trade between the United States and Brazil and to decide upon the most appropriate solutions to overcome the obstacles which may hinder the natural development of trade between the two countries. While it is recalled that the Brazilian Minister of Finance took action on a previous occasion to call a meeting of the Committee in Rio de Janeiro, it is believed that such action should in general be arranged between the members of the Committees themselves. It is accordingly suggested that you take such action as you may consider appropriate directly with the members of the Committee in Rio de Janeiro.
The Embassies at Santiago and Buenos Aires and the Legation at Montevideo are also being advised of your plans to visit those capitals shortly after the termination of the Conference at Lima, and of your desire to discuss with them the problems confronting United States export trade in the respective countries.
For your confidential information, the Department has instructed the Embassy at Rio de Janeiro to take up with the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs the question of Brazilian exchange treatment of United States commerce under the Brazilian commitment of February 2, 1935.
Sincerely yours,