810.20 Defense/1331: Telegram
The Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:55 p.m.]
954. For the Acting Secretary. Department’s telegram 525, July 10, 9 p.m. President Vargas asks me to transmit to President Roosevelt his reply to the message received from him:
“Your Excellency’s message with regard to recent happenings and the march of world events has received my very special attention. I agree that it is mutually advantageous for us to maintain direct contact and I thank you for your initiative in letting me know your ideas concerning the world situation, as well as informing me at the same time of the measures which the American Government is taking for the purpose of better insuring the defense of our hemisphere. Your Excellency’s viewpoints entirely coincide with my own views on the subject. It is indispensable, for the success of our joint action, to decide beforehand upon the measures to be taken and the objectives envisaged.
In a general manner, these measures and objectives should be included in the program of cooperation which we must carry out. The details and the distribution of our respective obligations under this program which has already been outlined in the undertakings already reached, should specifically constitute the objective of the studies of [Page 510] the Mixed Brazilian-American Commission of General Staff officers which has begun its work here in Rio de Janeiro.30 I wish to state once more to Your Excellency that Brazil continues disposed to lend its entire collaboration to the United States using all its forces and means at its disposal to insure the common defense of the American Continent. I also take pleasure in reciprocating Your Excellency’s expressions of consideration and with the assurances of my personal friendship.”
President Vargas observed that he has instructed the Brazilian military authorities to put immediately before the Mixed Commission of General Staff officers the question of sending armed forces to Guiana and the Portuguese Islands (as set out in the second to last paragraph of my telegram No. 883, July 19, 3 p.m.31).