Office of the Historian

810.24/8–2247

The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of War (Royally)35

secret
Washington, August 22, 1947.

My Dear Mr. Secretary: I attach herewith, for your information, a copy of a statement of policy of the Department of State in respect to the sale, transfer and export of arms, ammunition and implements of war to the republics of the Western Hemisphere.

You will note that this policy places all these nations upon the same basis with respect to the procurement in the United States of arms, ammunition, and implements of war, subject to certain criteria and to the United States arms standardization policy in Latin America.

Sincerely yours,

Robert A. Lovett
[Enclosure]

Policy With Respect to Transfers or Sales of Arms, Ammunition, and Implements of War to the Republics of the Western Hemisphere

1.
Argentina will be accorded the same treatment as the other American Republics with respect to transfers or sales of arms, ammunition, and implements of war.
2.
With respect to all the Latin American Republics, all transfers or sales of arms, ammunition, and implements of war will be acted upon in accordance with the criteria indicated below and in line with the United States arms standardization policy in Latin America.
a.
If the transfer is determined to be reasonable and necessary to enable a country to maintain internal order in the reasonable and legitimate exercise of constituted authority, or
b.
If the transfer is determined to be reasonable and necessary to enable a country to provide for and to exercise its right of self-defense against armed attack, a right recognized in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, or
c.
If the transfer is determined to be reasonable and necessary to assist a country to discharge its international responsibilities for (1) furnishing contingents to the Security Council pursuant to Article 43 of the Charter of the United Nations, and (2) carrying out military occupation in enemy or ex-enemy territory.
  1. The same letter was sent on the same date to the Secretary of the Navy (Forrestal).↩