Office of the Historian

732.5/5–1854

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland) to the Acting Secretary of State 1

secret
[Washington,] May 18, 1954.

Subject:

  • Proposed Joint Defense Commission with Brazil

Discussion:

Since January 1953 there has been correspondence with the Defense Department concerning participation by the Department and the Brazilian Foreign Office on a proposed US–Brazil Defense Board. An exchange of notes establishing the new commission, which was agreed on in conversations at Rio de Janeiro in September 1952, is overdue. The exchange of notes will also give public authorization for the existing structure of US-Brazilian defense cooperation, organized on the basis of secret notes exchanged in 1942.

There has been certain Army opposition to civilian membership on the new Board. Despite the fact that our Embassy at Rio, our Army, Navy and Air representatives in Rio, and the Brazilian Government all favor civilian membership, Army opposition in the Pentagon has been sufficiently strong to persuade the JCS to a negative position. Mr. Murphy has recently presented the Department’s position again to the JCS,2 but the JCS has maintained its earlier opposition.

Civilian membership would in our view assist in the attainment of military objectives in Brazil. Most of our anticipated military objectives there, such as a large Army communications center and guided missile bases, involve the use of Brazilian territory by numerous American personnel and are potentially explosive political subjects. Civilian participation on the new Board would provide an alternative channel between the two governments for the handling of technical arrangements of defense character and, as has been the experience in Canada, [Page 652] would make it possible to expedite decisions and agreements in the political-military field and avoid delays and security problems involved in referring them to the Brazilian Congress. The Army’s obstinacy regarding civilian membership ignores even Army long-range interests. See Tab A3 for a fuller discussion of the issue.

Recommendation:

That you take the matter of civilian membership to the Cabinet for decision, in view of the necessity for handling political-military relations with Brazil with full regard for Brazilian sensitivity. You may wish to mention this matter to the President beforehand. ARA will arrange for Defense to be given advance notice of our intention.4

  1. Drafted by W. Tapley Bennett, Jr.; concurred in by Mr. Murphy.↩
  2. Apparent reference to Mr. Murphy’s presentation of the matter to the Department of State–Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting, held at the Pentagon, May 7, 1954; a memorandum on the substance of discussion at the meeting, under date of reference, is contained in State–JCS Meetings, lot 61 D 417.↩
  3. Not printed.↩

  4. A memorandum to Mr. Holland, dated June 2, 1954, by Mr. Murphy, reads as follows:

    “With reference to your memorandum of May 18 on the above subject, I have twice discussed this question with Acting Secretary of Defense Anderson, who put the question to the Joint Chiefs stating that unless the Joint Chiefs had very good and valid reasons for their position, that he would urge them to reconsider in favor of our suggestion. I understand the Joint Chiefs are meeting shortly on this question, and for that reason feel that we should await the outcome of their reconsideration before suggesting that the Secretary go to the Cabinet with this question.” (732.5 MSP/5–1254). On June 4, 1954, the JCS reaffirmed to the Secretary of Defense their original position that the proposed combined board should be military in nature.

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