840.51 Frozen Credits/5288: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:45 p.m.]
212. In slip to reliable American contact recently, Chilean Superintendent of Banks stated that following December 7th attack on Pearl Harbor Axis interests withdrew 60,000,000 pesos from Chilean banks. Realizing too late that an American was present he added that most of this sum had been redeposited. Contact doubts whether redeposits were more than 10,000,000 pesos. If this estimate is correct Axis nationals and agents in Chile have cash on hand at least the equivalent of $1,600,000. Another contact reports that amount in Yokohama Specie Bank account with Bank of Chile (Japanese Chilean clearing account) is 20,000,000 pesos.