Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1939, The American Republics, Volume V

810.24/31a: Circular telegram

The Secretary of State to Missions in the American Republics Except Mexico

Washington , June 27, 1939—7 p.m.

There is now pending in the Congress the Joint Resolution to authorize our cooperation with the other American republics in supplying them, when they so request, with certain military and naval matériel for defense purposes (please see press release no. 96¹ and Radio Bulletin no. 60 of March 14 last, and subsequent bulletins especially no. 68 of March 23). We believe it would be useful in that connection to be able definitely to state to members of the respective Congressional committees that information has been received indicating that the other American republics would welcome the enactment of the Resolution, and to that end I desire you to seek an early opportunity for an informal and confidential discussion of the matter with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the country to which you are accredited. The information already transmitted to you describes the scope and objectives of the Resolution. Its primary purpose is to extend the area of our cooperation to the field of defense and we believe that the measure is entirely consistent with the good neighbor policy and with the official declarations unanimously adopted at the Conferences in Buenos Aires in 1936² and at Lima last December.³ Furthermore we believe that cumulative developments in other parts of the world, including those subsequent to the introduction of the Resolution last March, have provided added reason for preoccupation on the part of the peoples of the New World with the problems of defense.

In discussing the matter the following points should be made clear:

(1) The measure authorizes the President to make the facilities of the United States available in supplying matériel and information relative to defense only (that is specifically naval vessels, and coast defense and anti-aircraft artillery together with ammunition therefor).

(2) There is no thought of endeavoring to persuade any government to avail itself of the facilities offered. The Joint Resolution envisages no “salesmanship” on the part of the United States and no suggestion that any country should increase its armament. The initiative in every instance will come from a country desiring our cooperation.

(3) The Resolution provides that our cooperation shall be rendered without expense to the United States. It will of course be our purpose to provide the matériel, services, et cetera, on a basis equivalent in cost to that upon which similar work is undertaken for the Government of the United States itself. The Resolution contains no provision for the extension of credit by the War or Navy Department or any other government agency to a government desiring to avail itself of the opportunities offered.

(4) The Resolution will also enable this Government to cooperate with another American republic in the construction of war vessels in the shipyards of the latter.

Kindly report the results of your interview by cable. It is unnecessary to obtain a quoted statement from the minister of foreign affairs since an oral expression of opinion will be sufficient for the Department’s purposes. It is not intended that the information obtained will be used in debate but merely as an indication for the confidential use of the pertinent committees of the views existing in the other American republics.

Hull

1. See Department of State, Press Releases, March 18, 1939, p. 201.
2. See Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 1–23, 1936 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1937).
3. See Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Eighth International Conference of American States, Lima, Peru, December 9–27, 1938 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1941).