Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, General; the United Nations, Volume I

800.014 Antarctic/9–2446

The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Inverchapel)

The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the British Ambassador and has the honor to refer to his note No. 531 of September 24, 1946 regarding hutments at Marguerite Bay occupied by the United States expedition to Antarctica of 1941.⁴

Since it is assumed that the United States expedition referred to is the United States Antarctic Service Expedition of 1939–1941, the contents of the Embassy’s note have been communicated to the Departments of the United States Government which sponsored that expedition. The Department is informed⁵ that it was the intention that buildings and supplies of coal, gasoline, food and other equipment left at the Marguerite Bay site, named “East Base” by the United States Antarctic Service Expedition, should remain there for possible future use by any United States scientific expedition basing in that area. The “explicit instructions” referred to in the Embassy’s note were intended by the party of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition which evacuated East Base in 1941 to apply only to the salvage of personal belongings and not to United States government property.

The Department is informed that the foregoing has been reviewed by and is concurred in by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, USN (Retired), as head of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition.

The Department is also informed of a forthcoming expedition by a non-profit scientific organization, the American Antarctic Society, Incorporated. It is understood that this expedition expects to occupy the East Base site and, with permission of the United States departments concerned, utilize the buildings and equipment. Commander Finn Ronne, USNR, who will head the American Antarctic Society, Incorporated, expedition, was second-in-command at East Base during its occupation in 1939 to 1941. It would be preferred, therefore, that hutments, equipment and stores other than personal belongings left by the East Base component of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition at the Marguerite Bay site remain there for future utilization. The offer of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey to return the salvageable equipment to the United States is greatly appreciated, but for the reasons given cannot be accepted.

Washington, November 18, 1946.

4. The British Ambassador’s note under reference read in part as follows:

   “Ships of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey recenty visiting British Antarctic territory between the meridans of longitude 20 degrees west and 80 degrees west of Greenwich inspected the hutments at Marguerite Bay occupied by the United States expedition to Antarctica which left by air in 1941 and found the site in considerable disorder. As the United States Government may already be aware, an Argentine naval vessel, the ‘Primero de Mayo’, called at Marguerite Bay in 1943. In accordance with explicit instructions left by the United States expedition, the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey recovered all the salvageable equipment of value, and this and the personal effects of the expedition are now being sorted and prepared for return to the United States at the first opportunity in the next Antarctic summer. British personnel are now in occupation on this site.” (800.014 Antarctic/9–2446)

5. Letter of October 28, from the Acting Secretary of the Navy, John L. Sullivan, to the Secretary of State, not printed.