835.00/2–1546: Telegram
The Ambassador in Brazil (Berle) to the Secretary of State
us urgent
[Received 12:32 p.m.]
327. For Braden. Neves da Fontoura65 called me last night. They had had full Cabinet session discussion among other things Argentine situation.
Fontoura said he wished to follow our lead and give us all help he could and repeated question he had previously asked of La Guardia [Page 213] and me. Supposing, he said, Perón is elected, what is your line of march? In other words, what do you consider a possible solution?
I said I would cable and get as exact a statement as Dept could give me and at moment speak only personally. I said obviously no new diplomatic agreements could be of any use: We had had a barrel full already. Fontoura promptly and vigorously agreed. I said that it seemed to me certain personalities including Perón and a small group of men around him would have to disappear in any case. I said that I personally thought that a general signing of treaty contemplated by Chapultepec but without Argentina under present regime, might be considered as a first step accompanied by mobilization of moral pressure in Hemisphere against Perón group.
I think Fontoura vaguely has in mind working a little with Farrell to try to get Perón eliminated from picture in some fashion. How he could do this of course remains to be seen.
In any case Dept has probably thought out the next step after elections on hypothesis that Perón comes into power and Brazilian Govt would like to know how they can be of help.
- João Neves da Fontoura, Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs.↩