835.00/11–2946
The Ambassador in Argentina (Messersmith) to the Assistant Secretary of State for American Republic Affairs (Braden)
Dear Sprthlle: I have to refer to my Top Secret Despatch No. 1169 of November 646 and 1273 of November 20 which I sent you with covering letters. You will recall that in order not to get any distribution not duly authorized by you, I sent the originals and copies of the despatches to you.
In spite of all the precautions which were taken here, there was a leak somewhere among the few people in the government who knew about this matter or from a subordinate and some of these agents were warned and escaped surveillance under which they were and it has been impossible up to the present to locate a fair number of them including Becker. They have some of the principal ones but some have so far eluded them. I know that the police in Buenos Aires and all over the country are concentrating on finding these people and it is my belief that they are making every effort to get them. The President and the Foreign Minister said yesterday that they were sure they would get them all.
The ship is ready to take them, out but they want to wait until they have the lot they set out for. I am merely sending you this word for your personal information so that you may know the background.
The activity of the police in Buenos Aires and throughout the country has, of course, become known and is a matter of speculation but the press is not saying much about it any more as the publicity might be of help to these people who are in hiding. The American correspondents are very curious about what is going on and ask me questions but I tell them that I know that it is a matter on which only the Argentine Government can give any information and the Government is refusing naturally to make any comment with regard to the arrests and searches until they are ready to send the ship out.…
With all good wishes [etc.]
- Not printed.↩