635.6131/5–1849: Airgram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Argentina
A–190. The Department has recently received several reports concerning an increasing, direct or indirect, trade between Argentina and the USSR. These reports are stated to have been furnished to the Embassy under the following descriptions: Purchases of Soviet Satellite Countries in Argentina, April 7; Soviet Purchase of Argentine Hides, April 5; Soviet Purchase of Argentine Hides, March 25; and airgram no. A–318 dated April 27, 1949 from the Embassy at Praha.1
As indicated in Deptel no. 115, February 15, 1949,1 the Department is not in a position at this time to attempt to discourage sales of Argentine export surpluses to the USSR or Satellite Countries, but does not wish to see Argentine economic ties with that part of the world strengthened. The expansion of Argentine trade with Eastern Europe might weaken Argentina’s political affiliation with the West, and would deprive both the United States and certain Western European countries of an important market and source for their import requirements. The Embassy should watch closely any developments of this nature, and furnish the Department with all available information [Page 499] as well as the Embassy’s comment with respect to its possible significance in the light of the foregoing.2
- Not printed.↩
- Not printed.↩
- The Ambassador in Argentina (Bruce) responded to the Department in airgram 290. May 24, not printed. He stated that, according to ships’ manifests, the only available source of information, Argentina’s only shipments to the U.S.S.R. during 1949 consisted of 1,000 dry cowhides and 75,000 salted cowhides. He said that there were considerable shipments to the Eastern European countries, with which Argentina had a number of trade agreements calling for shipment of specific quantities of Argentine goods. (635.6131/5–2449)↩