Office of the Historian

835.5151/2–2045: Telegram

The Chargé in Argentina (Reed) to the Secretary of State

Buenos Aires, February 20, 1945—9 p.m.
[Received February 20—8:23 p.m.]

349. Executive decree published this afternoon provides for the embargoing or blocking of all payment orders in Argentina’s Reichsmark “A” account which account has been used in the past for the payment for imports from Germany. Stated purpose of decree is to protect Argentina’s creditor account maintained by the Central Bank in Deutsche Verrechnungskasse (repeat Verrechnungskasse) de Berlin; to pay damages due Argentina for the sinking of Argentine ships Uruguay and Rio Third and damage caused to tanker Victoria; and to pay the cost of maintaining crew of the Graf Spee.92

Reed
  1. For documentation on the Graf Spee incident, see Foreign Relations, 1939, vol. v, pp. 85 ff.↩