Office of the Historian

811.20 Defense (M) Chile/260: Telegram

The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State

Santiago, September 4, 1942—7 p.m.
[Received 11:15 p.m.]

1431. Your telegram No. 712, June 20, 2 p.m.82 Embassy has been approached by both Heatley, Under Secretary of Commerce and Wennerberg, Swedish Chargé d’Affaires regarding attitude our Government towards exchange of Chilean copper for Swedish products. Wennerberg has informed Heatley that British Government has agreed to issue navicerts for 2,500 tons copper per quarter for Sweden. Commercial Secretary of British Embassy, Santiago,83 says this allegation is not correct and that British Government will not issue navicerts for copper to Sweden without prior consultation with Department. Commercial Secretary states a navicert was issued for 2,500 tons of copper for Sweden for first quarter 1942 but none will have been issued subsequently.

[Page 66]

This Embassy believes no further navicerts should be issued for copper to Sweden because of need for copper in the United States and danger of copper consigned to Sweden falling into the hands of Germany.

If Department agrees telegraph authorization to inform Heatley that United States cannot give its approval to proposed transaction.84

Bowers
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. Arthur J. Pack.↩
  3. In Department’s telegram No. 1053, September 14, the Ambassador was given the authorization requested.↩