823.248/305
The Peruvian Ambassador ( Freyre ) to the Secretary of State
Excellency: I have the honor to refer to Your Excellency’s courteous note dated October 20 last, in which Your Excellency states, in the second paragraph, that your Government is prepared to give immediate and full compensation to the Government of Peru for the attachment of 18 Douglas airplanes belonging to the Peruvian Government that were requisitioned by the United States Army at the Port of New York.
In accordance with instructions from my Government, I have the honor to present to Your Excellency today, for the aforementioned purposes, a statement of the value of the said airplanes, and of the expenses incurred in transporting them from Toronto to New York, as well as the expenses of the trip from Peru to Canada of several Air Force officers of my country to inspect them.
My Government paid the Norwegian Government, in accordance with a contract signed August 15, 1941, the sum of $1,234,800.00 for the 18 airplanes. To this amount should be added $8,633.80 for the [Page 521] cost of transporting them from Canada to New York; and $3,364.50 for the passage and expenses of the Peruvian officers. This makes a total of one million, two hundred forty-six thousand, seven hundred ninety-eight dollars and thirty cents ($1,246,798.30), and I shall be grateful if Your Excellency will have that amount paid to the Government of Peru.
I should like to state, at the same time, that the above sum is only the value of the 18 Douglas airplanes and the expenses directly connected with their purchase. My Government reserves the right to make a subsequent claim for damages and losses suffered as a result of the forced detention of the vessel Marañón and other matters mentioned in the last part of my note of October 6 of the current year.
I avail myself [etc.]