701.9411/1677a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery)
504. Your 571, February 24, 4 p.m.22 You may inform Brazilian Foreign Office that the vessel carrying Japanese personnel from this country to Lourenço Marques is not expected to leave before the first of May. In addition to numerous minor details in the negotiations between this Government and the Japanese Government which need to be arranged, in particular the exchange of final lists of persons involved in the exchange movement, it has come to the Department’s attention that the British Government has not yet replied to the original Japanese proposal for exchange of personnel. As the Japanese intend to carry out the exchange in a single movement, the transportation of personnel from this hemisphere to Lourenço Marques will serve no useful purpose until all negotiations by all parties [Page 401] are completed. The British Government has indicated an understandable desire to have none of the Japanese personnel being exchanged remain for any length of time at Mozambique and it would furthermore be desirable, if possible, to have the party arriving from Japan reach Lourenço Marques before the party from this hemisphere in view of the limited accommodations available for the shelter of so many persons.
As soon as more definite information about the time of the exchange becomes available, Department will be glad to inform you further.
- Not printed.↩