824.248/10–345
The Secretary of State to the Bolivian Ambassador ( Andrade )
The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of Bolivia and has the honor to refer to the Embassy’s memorandum of October 3, 1945 relating to the desire of the Bolivian Government to use four twin-motor Douglas C–47 military transport planes, allocated to the Bolivian Government by the Munitions Assignments Board under Lend-Lease, for the purpose of transporting meat from the town of Reyes to the city of La Paz.
As the Embassy is aware, the subject planes were assigned for purposes of military training which would contribute to the defense of the Americas. The Department, therefore, is not inclined to the belief that the suggested use of this equipment for the foregoing purpose fulfills the provisions of the Lend-Lease agreement. However, for the reasons set forth in the Embassy’s memorandum under acknowledgment and with the understanding that this is a special exception regarding the use of military transport planes delivered to the Bolivian Air Force under Lend-Lease and, further that it is understood this action shall not constitute a precedent with regard to the use of other Lend-Lease equipment, the Department interposes no objection to the [Page 571] use of the subject aircraft for this purpose on an interim basis until such time as normal commercial facilities are in a position to undertake this operation on the following condition:
That the Bolivian Government formally acknowledges that the United States shall have the right to request the termination of the use of Lend-Lease aircraft in this operation upon a determination by the United States Government that the conditions of emergency as set forth in the Bolivian Embassy’s memorandum no longer necessitate their use for the purpose mentioned.