611.3231 Mixed Commission/10

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. James W. Gantenbein of the Division of the American Republics

Participants: Mr. Fernando Lobo, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Brazil
Mr. Duggan93
Mr. Gantenbein.

Mr. Lobo called by appointment this afternoon and stated that Ambassador Aranha, prior to his departure a few days ago for Brazil, had been particularly interested in the setting up of the two trade committees in New York and Rio de Janeiro and inquired what this Government contemplated with respect to making the designations.

Mr. Duggan explained that our Embassy had proposed to the Foreign Office that the two governments exchange the names of the persons that they intended to designate by January 15, and that a recent telegram from the Embassy indicated that the Foreign Office was agreeable to this proposal. It was also explained to Mr. Lobo that the Embassy and the Foreign Office had agreed upon one principal and one alternate for each country on each of the two committees.

In the first part of the conversation Mr. Lobo declared it to be his understanding that each Government would appoint the representatives [Page 400] of its country for both committees, but later when informed that the Embassy in Rio and the Foreign Office had apparently not yet agreed upon whether this would be done or whether each government would appoint all of the members of the committee in its country, Mr. Lobo indicated that his Embassy was not clear upon this point.

Mr. Duggan said that it was the position of this Government that the two committees would have no official standing and that the life of each committee should be limited, for example to two years. Mr. Lobo seemed to approve of both of these points.

Mr. Lobo was told that Mr. Welles was attaching considerable importance to this matter and that we were keeping in communication with the Embassy with a view to having the details promptly agreed upon.

  1. Laurence Duggan, Chief, Division of the American Republics.