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  4. Document 1501

833.24/9–2644

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. George D. Henderson of the Division of River Plate Affairs, and Mr. Joseph E. Johnson, Division of American Republics Analysis and Liaison

[Extracts]
[Washington,] October 12, 1944.
Participants: War Department—Lt. Cols. Meals and Dubois
RPA—Mr. Spaeth, Mr. Henderson
RL—Mr. Johnson

It had been suggested in the Department that perhaps the War Department might be willing to liberalize Lend-Lease allocations to Uruguay if such allocations were coupled with efforts to get the Uruguayans to ask for a military mission. Accordingly, Col. Meals [Page 1604] was asked to come to discuss the question, and brought Col. Dubois with him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The meeting terminated with the unanimous decision of all participants that the following should be done:

1.
The War Department would immediately reconsider Uruguayan Lend-Lease requests with a view to arriving at a list of items which would lessen the disparity between material requested and material granted.
2.
The War Department’s “offer” would contain certain indications of the need for technical guidance in using equipment to be furnished.
3.
Thereafter, the entire matter will be reviewed with officers of the Uruguayan Embassy, this government stating exactly what can now be made available, and explaining very frankly why certain other items will not be obtainable at least before the end of hostilities in Europe. At or about the same time, either in Washington or through Ambassador Dawson in Montevideo, the Department will raise the proposal for ground and air missions with the Uruguayan government. (With respect to both types of missions, Col. Meals said that the War Department did not necessarily want large missions, and Mr. Johnson stressed the fact that they need not be called “missions” at all if anybody balked at the word.)
4.
The Department will undertake to arrange with the WSA40 for transportation of the equipment to Uruguay as expeditiously as possible.

  1. War Shipping Administration.↩