Office of the Historian

740.0011 European War 1939/3731a

The Under Secretary of State (Welles) to President Roosevelt

Washington, June 14, 1940.

My Dear Mr. President: The Brazilian Ambassador came to see me this morning and handed me a telegram of which I enclose the translation herewith, which he had just received from President Vargas.

[Page 622]

I told the Ambassador I would transmit this message to you and I asked if the Ambassador saw any objection to having the message made public. He assured me there was no objection.

I had hoped that you would, at your press conference this morning, say something on the subject of our relations with Brazil but I realize that due to the tremendous pressure under which you are, it undoubtedly escaped your mind. Do you not think it would be well for Steve Early53 to let the press have the text of this message and see that proper emphasis is given to it by the press?54

Believe me

Faithfully yours,

Sumner Welles
[Enclosure—Translation]

The President of Brazil (Vargas) to the Brazilian Embassy in Washington

[Rio de Janeiro,] June 13, 1940.

Speech delivered June 11 can in no sense be regarded as contradictory to that of President Roosevelt whose speech I had not read at that time. My speech is a warning, a call to reality, addressed to Brazilians and which might cause surprise only to persons devoted to routine, not to a far-seeing mind like that of Roosevelt, who is liberal minded, progressive and forward looking, crying out as the voice of the whole continent regarding perils which threaten America and who knows that Brazil will not fail him in loyalty.

Getulio Vargas
  1. Secretary to the President.↩
  2. The message was released by the White House, June 15, 1940. Printed in Department of State Bulletin, June 15, 1940, p. 666.↩