832.8595/1: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery)
656. Your 797, March 11, 5 PM and 830 March 12, 8 PM.8 The Maritime Commission will be pleased to arm the six Brazil merchant ships now in United States ports and the two ships due shortly. As soon as these have been armed it will be glad to continue to arm Brazilian ships at the rate of four per month if the Brazilian Government desires us to do so and is willing to send them to the United States ports indicated by our naval authorities. Payment for this can be made in cash or taken out of Brazil’s lend-lease appropriation.9
The Ambassador and his Naval Attaché10 have been informed in the premises and are requesting instructions. It would be desirable for them to be authorized to handle the matter with the Maritime Commission and other authorities rather than for the authority to be given to the Lloyd Brasileiro.
Although the Maritime Commission has shown the greatest reluctance to consider providing gun crews for these ships I am prepared to take the matter up on the basis of providing gun crews for these ships on the southbound trips to Brazil. Thereafter, of course, it will be the responsibility of the Brazilian Government to provide gun crews. I have informed Martins in this sense.
- Latter not printed.↩
- For correspondence on the negotiation of the Lend-Lease Agreement between the United States and Brazil, signed October 1, 1941, see Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. vi; for text of further agreement, signed March 3, 1942, see post, p. 815.↩
- Carlos Martins and Comdr. Edmundo Jordão Amorim do Valle, respectively.↩