835.24/2445: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile ( Bowers ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:52 p.m.]
2159. The Department will doubtless wish to give full consideration to telegram 2960 of December 24, 2 p.m. from Buenos Aires40 when replying to my 2144, December 3 [23], 9 p.m.41 Whatever the [Page 862] reply42 may be I suggest that its form be such that I can read it to the Foreign Minister. I hope that we can adhere closely to the spirit and letter of the copper limitation agreement. I don’t know the motives behind the Foreign Minister’s request for approval of this barter transaction but it may be laying the ground-work for another request for increased gasoline supplies allegedly for agriculture. I believe that Chilean Army officers are agreed that the hoofs of Argentine horses are too soft for military use; the mares would doubtlessly be valuable in building up draft animals for southern agriculture but it seems to me that the necessity for the mares is one for the Chilean Government to decide whereas the supplying of copper to Argentina is one involving not only our military operations but also the copper limitation agreement in which we have direct interest and rights.
- Not printed; it indicated an apparent attempt by Argentine Army authorities to obtain copper for Proclaimed List firms (835.24/2439).↩
- Not printed; it expressed willingness to acquiesce in Chile’s desire to trade its copper for Argentine mares (835.24/2438).↩
- In telegram No. 11, January 4, 1944, the Department instructed the Ambassador to explore a policy of terminating the copper agreement, maintaining, however, a limitation on the export to Argentina of fabricated copper (835.24/2445).↩