862.20210/2048
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of the American Republics (Bonsai)86
At lunch yesterday, Dr. García Arias87 argued eloquently and at length against any further publication of material gathered by this Government concerning espionage and subversive activities in the other American republics. He said that the Argentine authorities are now taking these matters very seriously, but that any publication, directly or indirectly, of data which we had gathered would merely furnish ammunition to extreme nationalist elements to say that, apparently, our own counterespionage activities were carried on with as little regard for Argentine sovereignty as the alleged Axis activities.
I am personally of the opinion that there would be nothing to be gained at this time by having the Committee for Political Defense publish the memorandum we furnished the Argentine Government recently.