733.5/11–2651
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of Special Political Problems, Office of Regional American Affairs (Jamison)1
| Participants: | Assistant Secretary Miller |
| Señor Dr. José A. Mora, Ambassador of Uruguay | |
| AR—Mr. Jamison | |
| OSA—Mr. Havemeyer (during part of the conversation) |
Ambassador Mora said that he had called in order to see whether Mr. Miller could inform him with regard to the report obtained by him from the Uruguayan Naval Attaché that a high level U.S. military team would go soon to Montevideo to carry on conversations with Uruguayan military authorities. Mr. Miller said that the information regarding the visit of this team was given somewhat prematurely, since further steps in implementation of the military grant assistance program of the Mutual Security Act2 require determination by the President, which has not yet been made, and that the Government concerned would, of course, be approached in order to determine whether it wished to engage in detailed negotiations in advance of the sending of any such team of military negotiators. Indicating to Ambassador Mora that he wished to speak frankly and on a confidential basis, Mr. Miller outlined certain of the procedures which are to be followed in initiating the program of military assistance, and stated that it is contemplated that the Uruguayan Government will be approached, should this be authorized by the Presidential determination, which should take place within a week or ten days. He pointed out the general concepts guiding the program, including its relationship to Resolution III3 of the Foreign Ministers Meeting and to the planning [Page 1620] of the Inter-American Defense Board. In response to Ambassador Mora’s specific question as to whether the “plan” involved in the discussions will be the IADB plan4 or that referred to in section 401 of the Mutual Security Act, Mr. Miller pointed out that the plan which Would be discussed with the Uruguayan authorities, if they agree, is that called for in the Act, although it is entirely consistent with and would be directly related to the IADB plan in any negotiations carried on. Toward the end of the conversation, Ambassador Mora referred to a statement which he said General Goes Monteiro5 was reported to have made to the effect that the U.S. and Brazil would share jointly the responsibility for defending the eastern coast line of South America, and Mr. Miller relieved any apprehension he may have had that this might be interpreted to mean that Brazil and the U.S. were planning jointly for the protection of an area which was obviously Uruguay’s responsibility.
The conversation then turned to other matters, which are being reported on separately.6
- Edward A. Jamison.↩
- For text of the Mutual Security Act (Public Law 165), approved October 10, 1951, see 65 Stat. 373. For documentation concerning the development of the Mutual Security Program, see vol. i, pp. 266 ff; for documentation on aspects of the Mutual Security Program for Latin America, see pp. 1038 ff.↩
- For text of the resolutions of the Fourth Meeting of Consultation, see Pan American Union, Fourth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs Held in Washington, D.C. March 26-April 7, 1951: Proceedings (Washington, 1951), pp. 234–268.↩
- Apparent reference to the General Military Plan for the Defense of the American Continent, approved by the IADB, November 15, 1951; for information, see the editorial note, p. 1028.↩
- Pedro Aurelio Goes Monteiro, Chief of the General Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces.↩
- In telegram 345, from Montevideo, dated March 13, 1952, not printed, Ambassador Edward L. Roddan, who was appointed Ambassador to Uruguay, September 19, 1951, and assumed charge of the Embassy on December 27, informed the Secretary of State that the Uruguayan Government on March 7 had authorized the initiation of conversations with United States representatives concerning a bilateral military assistance agreement (720.5–MSP/3–1352). The conversations began on March 31, 1952.↩