Office of the Historian

800.00 Summaries/3–2146: Circular telegram

The Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic Representatives18

secret
Washington, March 21, 1946—10 a.m.

Certain of American Republics informed by Dept19 of amount of military equipment that will be available to them from US surplus stocks. Amount will vary according to a predetermined formula. Brazil will be able to obtain ground equipment sufficient to arm one division of infantry. Smaller countries will be restricted to lesser amounts. Aircraft being offered include transports, primary basic and advanced trainers and a few tactical planes. Basic purpose of program is to standardize military equipment insofar as possible for hemisphere defense. At present Argentina, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua are excluded. Panama also excluded because she has no army only police force.

Byrnes
  1. The diplomatic representatives at Caserta, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Moscow, Paris, and Stockholm.↩
  2. See memorandum of March 14, supra.↩