810.24/3–945
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Phil R. Atterberry of the Division of Financial and Monetary Affairs
| Participants: | Messrs. McGurk, Cochran, Wright, Carrigan, Chalmers, Butler, Dreier, and Wendelin (ARA). |
| Messrs. Hayes, Barber, Atterberry, and Maxwell (FMA). |
The meeting had been called in Mr. McGurk’s office at 2:30 p.m. on February 27, 1945 at the request of Mr. Dreier.
The lengthy discussion treated primarily with the procedure and timing of requests for Latin American Lend-Lease reimbursement payments and the status of the Latin American Lend-Lease Agreements vis-à-vis the regular master type Agreement of Lend-Lease which the United States has with Great Britain and other combatant United Nations.
Summary
1. Lend-Lease Accounts.
Statement LL–3 and supporting schedules are to be sent to no additional Latin American countries until after the adjournment of the Mexico City Conference.13
It was decided that this Government should press each country for collection, but that such action should be handled exclusively in Washington. Henceforth, (a) procedure and negotiations for collection will be handled exclusively in Washington between officers of the Department and Latin-American Ambassadors. It might even be possible to have Assistant Secretary of State Rockefeller call in each Ambassador one at a time to make the request for payment; (b) U.S. Missions in Latin America will be kept informed but will not be requested to approach the local governments for payments.
2. Policy on Reimbursement Payments.
Unanimous approval was given a paragraph along the following lines concerning policy on reimbursement payments to be used for the information of our Missions in the other American republics:
“For your confidential information only and for use in your discretion should the occasion arise, several of the other American republics with which this Government has Lend-Lease Agreements have already made payments on their respective accounts, of which some are current. Moreover, the respective governments of those American republics from which reimbursement payments are either due or are [Page 240] in arrears are being informed through their Missions in Washington that the Government of the United States will continue to maintain the policy of requiring reimbursement payments for matériel transferred in accordance with the terms of the respective Lend-Lease Agreements which have been signed with various other American republics.”
FMA was authorized to proceed on this basis immediately upon the adjournment of the Mexico City Conference.