832.796/958: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil ( Caffery )
2122. The Department believes that prompt decisions are indicated in relation to current aviation problems in Brazil.
(1) Condor. Your telegram 2720 of July 25, 7 p.m. The Department regrets that the letter from Aranha enclosed with your despatch 8033 of July 25 is not accompanied by your specific recommendation whether Condor should or should not be delisted. For your information Defense Supplies Corporation has for some time had seven DC–3 planes on order for Brazil, some of them to be available for Condor. These planes are now about ready but in view of the extreme shortage of equipment it is unthinkable that they be left idle. In view however of the unsatisfactory nature of Aranha’s reply to your letter of July [June] 1, the Defense Supplies Corporation may be reluctantly forced to allocate these planes elsewhere for their immediate use in the most efficient manner. For example, we hope to use some of them in any case in Brazil for the building up of increased services to and within the Amazon region in connection with the rubber development program.17
Although it may be possible to earmark additional planes from future production for Condor, it should be borne in mind that when the conditions for delisting Condor are met it may not be practical to lay hands on planes for it immediately. In this connection please furnish specific details concerning the points which in your opinion remain to be cleared up before delisting can be recommended.
(2) Your airgram A–62 of July 2518 which reached the Department on July 30, after the receipt of your telegrams 2759, 2778 and 2779,19 all of which appear to be favorable replies to our 2030 of July 24,20 has seriously disturbed this Department, the War Department, the CAB,21 et cetera. The Brazilian Embassy here furthermore has voiced its distress at the effect of the reduction of the services on the [Page 783] travel of the persons for whom it is seeking urgent priorities, and the Department understands the Brazilian Ambassador has sent a telegram in the premises to the Itamaraty.22
(3) It is repeated that the expanded international service on the cut-off was to meet the demands for travel service of the American republics especially Brazil and was operated by Pan American Airways rather than Panair do Brasil to permit the most efficient use of equipment, et cetera in the face of the imperative demands of the armed forces for flying equipment, pilots, et cetera.
There is a crying need for additional air transports in the Caribbean, etc., where the released equipment from the cut-off can be put to efficient use.
Please stress these points to the appropriate Brazilian authorities, whose cooperation is sought in the emergency in the interest of the two countries, not merely of the carrier, and report urgently, submitting your recommendations.
- For correspondence on this subject, see pp. 691 ff.↩
- Not printed; it reported the denial of permission to the Pan American Airways to increase its service on the so-called Belém–Barreiras–Rio cutoff (810.79611 Pan American Airways/3197).↩
- None printed.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Civil Aeronautics Board.↩
- The Brazilian Foreign Office.↩