832.00 Revolutions/641
The Chargé in Brazil (Scotten) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 12.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department that yesterday, at the request of the Brazilian Minister for Foreign Affairs, I accompanied the Honorable Breckinridge Long26 to the Itamaraty.27 Among other matters, Sr. Aranha spoke at great length of an alleged German plot to foment trouble in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. As his conversation developed, I could see that he was referring to the same report made by the Federal Interventor of São Paulo to Consul General Foster on October 30, which was forwarded to the Department in my despatch No. 992 of November 1.28 Aranha stated that a letter had been intercepted which was addressed to Herr Von Ribbentrop,29 written by a German, at present living in Santa Catharina, who the Brazilian authorities suspect to be a German General. Aranha did not reveal the name of the writer of the letter, and in fact stated that he had not yet discovered whether the signature was the true name of the writer or not.… Aranha went on to say that the letter convinced him beyond any doubt that the German Government itself was making plans through the large German elements residing in the three countries mentioned to cause serious trouble. He added that on November 2 he had attended a meeting with the President, the Ministers of War and Marine, and the Chiefs of the General Staffs of the Army and Navy, at which this matter was discussed at length. He explained that two courses of action were open to the Government: first, to take immediate action to arrest the writer of the letter, as well as everyone in the country who was known to have Nazi sympathies; or second, to attempt to keep the writer of the letter under surveillance and by a patient investigation to discover all the ramifications of the plot. This latter method has been decided upon. Furthermore, [Page 420] it was decided to inform the Argentine Government of this whole matter in order that it might be put on guard and be enabled to take adequate steps to protect itself. Aranha mentioned briefly the fact that the Interventor of São Paulo was acquainted with this subject and had in fact been called to Rio and had been present at the conference referred to above. Aranha explained that his Government is on the best of terms with Sr. Mussolini and has no fear of the Fascists trying to start any trouble here. The Germans, however, are in an entirely different category and Aranha is convinced that Brazil has a great deal to fear from them. He reiterated that when he first arrived here from Washington he was skeptical about the intentions of the German Government to cause trouble and had believed that Brazil only had to fear some impetuous act on the part of local Germans of strong Nazi sympathies. However, he is now convinced that it is the German Government itself that desires to stir up trouble and eventually establish a Government here sympathetic with the Nazis.
Aranha deplored the fact that the Brazilian Secret Service is not well organized, but he added that plans are being made to establish some sort of an organization which will be unknown to the rest of their own Secret Service for the purpose of ferreting out the details of this plot. He concluded his remarks by stating that in view of the widespread ramifications of the plot, the matter was, in his opinion, one of continental importance. He requested, therefore, that I report it to the Department, and that Mr. Long report it verbally to the President and Secretary of State upon his arrival in Washington.
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Respectfully yours,