Office of the Historian

811.20 Defense(M)Peru/939: Airgram

The Ambassador in Peru (Norweb) to the Secretary of State

Lima, August 5, 1943—5 p.m.
[Received August 10—8 p.m.]

A–1196. Reference airgram A–1163, July 27, 5 p.m., and telegram No. 1044 of August 2, 5 p.m.12 from Libbey13 to Rosenthal,14 OEW, regarding the desire of the Peruvian Government to obtain shipping space for wheat on ships returning from Australia.

Supplementing the information supplied by Captain Alzamora,15 I wish to inform the Department and other interested dependencies of the American Government that Finance Minister East today stated he and the President had discussed this matter and had agreed to submit a direct request to me for assistance in obtaining the allocation of shipping space for 100,000 tons of Australian wheat for delivery during the remainder of this year or perhaps extending over into the first two or three months of 1944. The Minister stated that this is a necessary, precautionary measure owing to the general shortage of bottoms and the limited number of Peruvian ships, one of which was recently damaged in Chilean waters.

Consequently the request of the Minister is being forwarded with the recommendation that the Department render such assistance as may be appropriate, considering the importance of maintaining the Peruvian bread supply which is so largely dependent on imported wheat.

Norweb
  1. Neither printed.↩
  2. W. G. Libbey, Representative of the Office of Economic Warfare in Peru.↩
  3. Morris S. Rosenthal, Assistant Director, Office of Economic Warfare.↩
  4. Capt. José R. Alzamora, Coordinator of the Peruvian Office for General Coordination of Transport.↩