811.248/358: Telegram
The Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:55 p.m.]
558. For the Under Secretary. I shall take up your 428, February 21, 9 p.m., with President Vargas at an early date.
Aranha showed me on Saturday a report he had drawn up for President Vargas regarding the three Marine detachments at Recife, Belém and Natal, defending their presence there on the ground that they were “service personnel” and only “service personnel,” insisting that they were not guards or active Marines in any sense of the word. He said that after he submitted this report to President Vargas, President Vargas finally approved the presence of the three detachments.
Also only last week the Air Ministry was endeavoring to set up obstacles in the way of our continuing our ferry service, et cetera, over northeast Brazil; however, I believe that situation has now been righted.
I am not saying these things as a pessimist, but only to bring out that this is not going to be easy.