Office of the Historian

810.20 Defense/2092c: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery)

Washington, February 18, 1942—midnight.

392. The Commanding General, Caribbean Defense Command,35 has advised the War Department as follows:

“My responsibilities in the Caribbean theatre make essential a much broader intelligence coverage than now exists, not only of the Caribbean theatre, but also south to include Peru and Brazil to the fifth parallel of South Latitude. This additional territory is the location of Axis activity and potential Axis air and ground observations which may become very dangerous to the Caribbean theatre.”

The War Department has now informed this Department that it would like to station at Manáos, Brazil, 2 Grumman amphibians (O–A9) and 8 officers and 4 enlisted men to carry out air surveillance flights. The planes would carry armament.

Without sounding out the Brazilian Government, please give the Department your views as to the best approach to the Government in order to attain the objective of the War Department.

Hull
  1. Maj. Gen. Frank M. Andrews.↩