823.248/304
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The Ambassador of Peru called to see me at my request. I told the Ambassador that as an indication of the very real desire of the Government of the United States to recognize the difficulties created for the Government of Peru by the requisitioning by this Government of the 18 bombers which the Peruvian Government had bought and which were in transshipment through the United States for Peru, I wished to inquire whether the Government of Peru would view favorably the substitution of 18 primary trainers for the requisitioned bombers, the difference in value, of course, to be compensated for by the United States Government. I said it had been my understanding that what the Peruvian Government particularly desired was to have airplanes for the training of their pilots and that the category of planes requisitioned was not the chief difficulty, but rather the fact that 18 planes had been taken which would have been of service in affording flying facilities for their aviators.
The Ambassador said that this was exactly the case and that he personally greatly regretted the fact that the Peruvian Government had bought bombers rather than training planes in the first place. He said this fact had given rise to assumptions which he trusted were unfounded. He said that he would at once communicate with his Government and inform me of their point of view and that in the event that it was favorable, he would then respond affirmatively to an official note which I would direct to him in the sense indicated.