Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The American Republics, Volume VI

825.79635/17

The Secretary of State to the Postmaster General (Walker)

Washington, November 1, 1941.

My Dear Mr. Postmaster General: Reference is made to a conference between representatives of the Post Office Department and of this Department in the office of Mr. Purdum³⁷ on October 30, 1941, concerning the air transport services conducted by the Condor air line, under Axis control, between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile.

The Condor line now operates two services a week between Santiago and Buenos Aires, and Pan American Grace Airways operates five services a week between these places, making a total of seven frequencies. Pan American Grace Airways has indicated a willingness to increase its services from five to seven, thus providing a daily service, and it is expected that with this increase arrangements can be brought about which will result in the elimination of the Condor service.

This Department feels that the proposed increase of services by Pan American Grace Airways is highly desirable from the standpoint of foreign policy and hemispheric defense and strongly recommends that the Post Office Department, so far as its jurisdiction is concerned, cooperate in every way possible with the view to facilitating the plans of Pan American Grace Airways to inaugurate the proposed daily service between Buenos Aires and Santiago.³⁸

With the active cooperation of your Department and of other interested agencies of this Government as well as the governments of the other American Republics concerned, the removal of Axis influence or control over air transportation has now been completed in all of the West coast countries of South America. The elimination of the important Condor service between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile, will be an important step toward the complete elimination of Axis influence or control over aviation in the Western Hemisphere.

Sincerely yours,

For the Secretary of State:

Sumner Welles

Under Secretary

37. Smith W. Purdum, Second Assistant Postmaster General.
38. The Pan American-Grace Airways company agreed to provide the increased service if certain conditions were met, the first of which was that the Post Office Department increase its subsidy to the company corresponding to the additional mileage involved.