810.20 Missions/9–1945
Memorandum by the Director of the Office of American Republic Affairs ( Warren ) to Colonel A. D. Reid, Chief of the Liaison Section, Theater Group, OPD, WDGS 51
Reference is made to your memorandum OPD 452.1 Latin America of September 19, 1945,52 in which it is stated that the War Department contemplates furnishing one P–47 aircraft with necessary maintenance personnel to each of the United States aviation missions in Latin America. One B–25 would also be furnished to missions in the appropriate countries. The comment of the State Department is requested.
I understand that there are United States aviation missions at present in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay and Venezuela, that there are Mixed Commissions in Brazil, Cuba and Mexico and that Honduras and Cuba have requested military aviation missions. It is our view that there would be no objection to making one P–47 or a B–25 available to the missions in Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela—countries where it may be expected that planes of this character will at some time be made available to the air forces. The Department has strong reservations on political grounds, however, about providing airplanes of this character to Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay.
In general it would be inappropriate in our opinion to send to our aviation missions in the other American republics types of planes which may not be made available to the air forces of those countries. The Department would therefore like to suggest that the War Department’s program referred to in your memorandum be coordinated with the general program of providing tactical aircraft to the other American republics under SWNCC 4/10,53 and that our military aviation missions be provided only with those types of tactical aircraft which the State, War and Navy Departments agree will be made available to the air forces of the respective host governments.