832.61311/12–1445
The Department of State to the Brazilian Embassy
Memorandum
The Department of State refers to the memorandum of December 14, 19451 of the Office of the Commercial Counselor of the Brazilian Embassy relating to the problem of supplying truck tires to Argentina to make possible resumption of wheat exports to Brazil in the amounts needed by that country, a matter which a member of the Department has since discussed orally with representatives of the Brazilian Embassy.
The Department wishes to inform the Embassy that this Government is keenly aware of the need of doing everything possible to maximize shipments of grain from Argentina in the first half of 1946 in order to relieve the serious world-wide shortage of bread grains. Steps have been taken to make up to 30,000 tires available from the United States for use on trucks in Argentina to carry wheat to export positions. Application for export licenses to cover this export is now being made to the United States Department of Commerce. It is the understanding of this Government that the number of tires indicated in the figure above is sufficient to ensure, in so far as motor transport enters into the pattern of movement, that surplus Argentine wheat is made available at export points. Arrangements are to be effected whereby distribution and use of these tires for the express purpose indicated shall take place under the observation of representatives of the United States Government.
Discussions are now in progress in the Combined Food Board Cereals Committee, on which Argentina now has a member, looking to the extension of programming of wheat shipments as now made from the United States and Canada to include Argentina and Australia. By this means it is hoped that a pattern for world movement of wheat may be worked out which will meet with general approval. [Page 112] Account would be taken in such a program of the amount and the source (presumably Argentina) of wheat to be moved in any given period to Brazil.
- Not printed: it indicated Brazilian willingness to deliver 15,000 tires to Argentina, and urged the United States to support its request to Argentina to restore its previous level of wheat shipments to Brazil (832.61311/12–1445).↩