Office of the Historian

835.20/6–548

The Chief of the Latin American Branch, General Staff, United States Army (Freeman), to the Director of Plans and Operations, General Staff, United States Army (Wedemeyer)1

secret
[Washington,] 4 June 1948.
1.
At a conference with the Secretary of the Army on 21 May 1948, the Argentine Minister of War presented a memorandum which stated in substance:
a.
The Argentines appreciated the offer of the surplus property which was indicated to be available in the interim replies of March and May 1948 and which had been requested in List 1 of the Critten-berger Memorandum of 8 December 1947.2
b.
The Argentines had reduced their request for complete organizational units of equipment and now desired to procure complete units of organizational equipment for only:
  • 1 self-propelled 40mm antiaircraft battery;
  • 1 company of medium tanks;
  • 1 company of light tanks;
  • 1 reconnaissance troop of the armored division;
  • 1 headquarters and service troop of the armored division;
  • 1 battery of self-propelled 105mm howitzers.
All of the foregoing equipment was to be in accordance with the latest United States tables of organization and equipment.
c.
Assistance was also requested from the United States Army in the procurement from commercial sources of additional military equipment.
2.
To provide the Argentine Government with the six organizational units set forth above, the President was requested to authorize the sale of this matériel under Public Resolution No. 83 of 1940. At noon on 3 June 1948, the President authorized the Secretary of the Army to make the sale. ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

P. L. Freeman, Jr.

Colonel, GSC
  1. This document, along with the letter by Royall (infra), was forwarded by Freeman to John C. Dreier, Chief of the Division of Special Inter-American Affairs in a memorandum dated June 5, not printed.↩
  2. None printed.↩