835.00/2–2546: Telegram
The Ambassador in Brazil (Berle) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:30 p.m.]
402. Specifically answering last paragraph Deptel 248, February 20,83 I do not believe Brazil has been inclined to favor existence in Argentina of type of govt incapable of full cooperation with US as means of maintaining favored position for Brazil. What did happen was Vargas’84 incurable habit of playing both ends against middle, whereby, while working closely with US, he likewise maintained close connections with Argentina and Perón through Yuzardo [Lusardo], his Ambassador, and through his brother Benjamin Vargas, and less openly through his brother Viriato Vargas who is, as Dept knows, acknowledged leader in Fascist movement and publishes Fascist newspaper here.
Possibly also Vargas was likewise concerned lest anti-dictatorial sentiment might eventually react in Brazil as indeed it finally did. But these were reactions of dictatorial group as another dictatorial group and were in nature of personal policy.
Official policy of Brazilian Govt which is still maintained and probably reflects general sentiment is that they are afraid of Argentine situation as continuing threat to security of Brazil and of hemisphere and as future threat because Argentina with superior industrial organization working through immigrant German technicians and others could place themselves in position of military and technical superiority. They do not like continuing quarrel on their border particularly since this could imperil and now does imperil Brazilian bread supply85 and they consequently hope for an early solution though they are in dark as to how it may be achieved. Fundamentally, they would like an Argentine with whom they can trade easily and can carry on with personal exchanges which have been customary without being perpetually frightened of intrigues, possible military adventures, and repeated internal Argentine explosions. I have seen nothing to indicate that any responsible man believes that by secretly encouraging a bad situation in Argentina they therefore increase their trading value with US. It is dangerous thinking to extract from left-hand maneuvers of Vargas a theory of Brazilian foreign policy which seems not to be justified by Maonlina [garble] currents both of opinion and of responsible thinking. Brazilian is worried about quarrel with [Page 224] her largest near neighbor and hopes to God she will get over it and settle down. If asked, Brazilian Foreign Office would probably say that she had done her best to keep alongside of US but that in past year our own policy varied from a stiff line towards Argentina, to a conciliatory one and then back to a stiff one and that even President Vargas never got to the point of doing what we did when the Warren mission arrived in Buenos Aires.86
- Not printed.↩
- Getulio Vargas, former President of Brazil.↩
- For documentation on this problem, see pp. 111 ff.↩
- Reference is to the mission of Ambassador Avra M. Warren and Lt. Gen. George H. Brett to Buenos Aires in April, 1945, to discuss matters consequent upon Argentina’s recent declaration of war against the Axis. See Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. ix, pp. 378 ff.↩