824.248/130
The Secretary of State to the Bolivian Minister (Guachalla)
Sir: I have the honor to make further reference to your notes of December 14, 194040 and January 2, 1941, conveying the request of your Government for a United States military aviation mission, and to inform you that my Government is prepared to furnish such a mission.
I have been informed that the War Department has now two officers and two noncommissioned officers available for this mission, which would be provided with one bimotored plane. It is the understanding of the War Department that it is agreeable to your Government that these two officers be commissioned in the Bolivian Army one grade higher than their present rank and that the noncommissioned officers be commissioned as second lieutenants, all four to receive the same pay and allowances as officers of the Bolivian Army of the same rank. It is the understanding of the War Department that in addition to the aforementioned amount these officers will receive as flying pay eighty percent of the base pay they receive from Bolivia. It would be appreciated if you could confirm this understanding.
Upon receiving word from you that the above arrangement is acceptable to your Government I shall be pleased to forward to you without delay a draft agreement similar to the standard form of agreement which this Government has adopted to cover all United States military or naval missions in the other American republics.
In view of the reference in your note of January 2, 1941 to the cancelation of the contract covering the Italian Military Mission at present in Bolivia I assume that this contract will be canceled before the arrival of a United States military aviation mission. I would appreciate confirmation of this.
Accept [etc.]
- Not printed.↩