839.20 Misslons/9–2044

The Secretary of War ( Stimson ) to the Secretary of State

Dear Mr. Secretary:

[The initial sentences deal with the proposed establishment of a Military Mission in the Dominican Republic.] As the War Department is dependent on the Department of State for guidance on the advisability of establishing Military Missions, I consider it appropriate to furnish you with a clear picture of the reasons that motivate the War Department policy regarding the establishment of such Missions in Latin America.

In the exploratory staff conversations that are being initiated, the War Department representatives have been instructed to ascertain from the Latin American military staffs the minimum desires of each government for the organization and size of the respective Armed Forces with the end in view of standardizing the equipment of said organizations along American lines, thereby inducing each government to look to the United States rather than Europe for munitions of war.

If standardization is effected it would, therefore, be of paramount importance that the Government of the United States make available to the government of each Latin American Republic a Military Mission composed of qualified officers to instruct and to train the Armed Forces of each republic in the use and care of the equipment furnished so that long range economy of our resources can be effected. Also, the presence of Military Missions is an essential part of the machinery required to reorient the military thought of Latin America from European influence to the democratic lines of our military doctrine. [Page 121] Moreover, the presence of a Military Mission in each Latin American Republic, together with the standardization of organization, training and equipment, would enable the Government of the United States to give advice to those governments which would assist them in determining the size of the Armed Forces required in each republic, thus counteracting in a large measure the tendency toward an arms race, and contributing to the preservation of peace in the Western Hemisphere.

In determining the advisability of establishing a United States Military Mission, cognizance must be taken of the ever present danger that any delay might encourage a Latin American Republic to seek a foreign mission and purchase foreign munitions, which situation might affect the ultimate success of the entire Military Missions program.

In the event you consider it desirable and of informative value to the Ambassadors in Latin America, I suggest you transmit to them the views of the War Department as expressed above.

Sincerely yours,

Henry L. Stimson