835.00/2744a: Airgram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Argentina ( Armour )
A–285. The following circular airgram has been sent to all the other American Republics and is being transmitted solely for your information:
“The following information concerning the attitude of the Argentine Government is transmitted for your information and for possible use in conversations with authorities of the Governments to which you are accredited but not for transmittal in writing:
“The Farrell regime in Argentina has now been in power nearly 4 weeks. They have not indicated the slightest disposition to cooperate with the United Nations. On the other hand they have taken steps which can only be characterized as unfriendly. These include:
- 1.
- Transfer of the Secretariat of Press and Information from the Presidency to pro-Axis Minister of Interior, General Perlinger, and the subsequent appointment of notorious pro-Axis sympathizers as Secretaries in this service.
- 2.
- The arbitrary censorship of American films and newsreels. This censorship has been administered in such a way as to make the films serve pro-Axis propaganda purposes. Ambassador Armour has recently received word indirectly that American films would be shown in Argentina without this type of censorship, but this has not yet been confirmed.
- 3.
- The Argentine Government has decreed that all United Press services be terminated in the Argentine.
- 4.
- El Federal, the newspaper which has taken the place of El Pampero, continues its vitriolic attacks against this Government.
- 5.
- The pro-Axis newspaper La Fronda has reappeared in print and contains anti-democratic editorials and is said to have financed backing of pro-Axis Argentine Nationalist, Manuel Fresco.
- 6.
- Contracts for 70,000,000 pesos have been granted to German firms to construct barracks.[”]