811.20 Defense (M) Chile/471b: Airgram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Chile ( Bowers )
A–862. With respect to the control of exports of refined and semimanufactured copper from Chile, the Department desires to bring to the Embassy’s attention a paragraph in despatch no. 327 of May 17, 1943, from Buenos Aires,9 reading as follows:
“Copper and Copper products—Heavy imports of copper and copper products from Chile continue despite the fact that stocks in the Argentine are believed to approach minimum requirements for the rest of 1943. An appreciable portion of these stocks are held by the black-listed firm Sema,10 which firm has succeeded in augmenting its stocks during recent months. Copper is rapidly becoming an allservice metal in the Argentine economy, replacing for many uses other [Page 843] metals. So abundant are supplies that manufacturers who formerly only worked with used bronze or copper now purchase the new product.[”]