Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, General; the British Commonwealth; the Far East, Volume I

701.6210/62: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Argentina (Armour)³¹

Washington, February 28, 1942—midnight.

286. Your 369, February 26, 9 p.m.³² You may inform the Foreign Office that this Government has taken steps to provide facilities for travel to the United States of the Axis official personnel in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia and expects that the German and Italian officials proceeding to Europe will be able to transfer promptly to the vessel to carry them to Lisbon. The German and Italian Governments are being informed that these steps have been taken and that there exist no comparable facilities for repatriating by any other routes their personnel in these countries with their baggage under safe conduct of all the belligerents.

It is expected that Italian and German official personnel in Paraguay and Uruguay will be included in plans which the Brazilian Government is perfecting for the early repatriation of Axis personnel direct from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon. The Brazilian Government will obtain all necessary safe conducts for this voyage.

In view of the foregoing, it would seem in order for the Argentine Foreign Office to inform the German Embassy that it has learned that adequate provision has already been made for the repatriation under safe conduct of the German official personnel in the five countries referred to.

This Government would not be disposed to grant safe conduct to Italian and German officials formerly accredited to countries which have broken relations with the Axis traveling otherwise than in groups in pursuance of definitely stipulated exchange agreements and it is understood that British safe conducts would likewise not be granted for such travel.

In reference to penultimate paragraph of your 369, you are informed that it is now proposed to have the exchange vessel proceeding to Lourenço Marques stop at Rio de Janeiro to take on Japanese personnel and baggage from Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. The Japanese Government has been requested to consent to this arrangement which is more convenient to all Governments and individuals concerned.³³

Repeated to Lima, Quito, La Paz, Montevideo, Asunción and Rio de Janeiro.

Please repeat your 369 to Rio de Janeiro by air mail.

Welles

31. See penultimate paragraph for information regarding repetition to Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil.
32. Not printed.
33. See telegram No. 574, February 28, 1942, to the Chargé in Switzerland, p. 400.