810.74/448: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 4—12:52 a.m.]
1421. For Secretary and Under Secretary. Your telegram 982, August 29, 6 p.m. finally reached the President. It was evident that he has been confused and through the failure of Barros Jarpa to inform him. He reiterated his readiness to do whatever we think necessary for the protection of the Americas and his determination that Chile shall not be used against them. When I told him the German Embassy’s wires have increased 216% since 1941 he was astonished and said that since none could deal with commercial matters it seemed very strange. I then showed him a selected number of intercepts showing what is going out on war matters from German Embassy. He asked if I had ever called them to the attention of Barros Jarpa. When I replied that I had he seemed more than ever astonished. I asked if he would like to see more and he said he would.
He then amazed me by asking if I had seen the decree cutting off communications with the Axis and when I said it applied to all but the Axis Embassies he took issue, insisting that it did. I told him it was not so interpreted. I then asked what the attitude of the Government would be if the messages of these Missions were refused. [Page 139] He suggested that they be refused and we would see what would happen. They would complain to the Government which would not interfere.
It was all so clearly new to him that I finally asked if he would shut down telecommunication circuits with Axis countries if we could prove to him that they were being used to serve the enemy and the submarines and he reiterated that he would do anything necessary to prevent Chile from being used as a base of operations against the American nations. I shall see him again and furnish additional proof.
To me the most depressing revelation was the evident fact that his Minister has not passed on to him vital information.
The Brazilian Ambassador has not yet received instructions.57
- In telegram No. 2635, September 8, 7 p.m., the Department informed the Ambassador in Brazil that “the Brazilian Embassy in Santiago has not yet received instructions to make representations regarding severance of the telecommunication circuits between Chile and the Axis.” (810.74/448)↩