720.5 MSP/11–1554
The Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Hensel)1
Dear Mr. Hensel: The Department of State understands that the grant military assistance program being conducted for certain Latin American countries under the provisions of the Mutual Security Act of 1954 is now being reappraised by the Department of Defense, with a view to determining what specific United States military objectives should be established for the program during Fiscal Year 1956 and what amount of funds would be required from the next Congress for the furtherance of such objectives. In connection with this reappraisal, the Department of State desires to raise the following questions.
- (1)
- The Secretary of Defense, in a letter of October 31, 1951,2 included Argentina among Latin American countries with which programs of United States grant military assistance should be initiated. In view of the then current political situation in Argentina, however, it was agreed between the State and Defense Departments that no attempt would be made at that time to negotiate with Argentina an agreement under which that country would utilize United States grant assistance to prepare units of its armed forces for hemisphere defense missions. The Department of State would appreciate being informed whether, from the United States military point of view, Argentine participation in this program of hemisphere defense continues to be desirable. If the Department of Defense continues to have an interest in an Argentine program, the Department of State requests information regarding the approximate size of the program proposed for Argentina, as compared with the size of programs now being conducted for Brazil, Uruguay and other Latin American countries.
- (2)
- The Secretary of State was informed in a letter of October 27, 1954,3 from the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense,4 that there is an urgent United States military requirement for the installation of important United States military facilities on Brazilian territory. It is the view of this Department that the successful outcome of any approach to Brazil on the subject of United States base requirements will depend, in [Page 177] large part, on the extent to which the United States is prepared to comply with the standing Brazilian request for additional grant military assistance which was endorsed by United States military representatives in Brazil and submitted to the Defense Department for consideration early this year. The Department of State would therefore appreciate being informed whether the Defense Department is prepared to approve all or part of the Brazilian request for additional grant military assistance and to recommend that funds be requested from the next Congress for that purpose.
- (3)
- The Department of State desires to know whether the Defense Department believes that it would be in the United States military interest to broaden Colombia’s present mission in hemisphere defense, as set forth in the secret bilateral military plan with Colombia, and to provide Colombia with additional grant military assistance for that purpose. In view of the fact that Colombia was the only Latin American country which contributed troops for the United Nations action in Korea, the Department of State would support a recommendation by the Defense Department that the Congress be requested to appropriate funds necessary to increase the Colombian program, provided it is determined in the United States military interest to increase the program.
- (4)
- United States military representatives in several Latin American countries now receiving grant military assistance, such as Cuba, Ecuador, and Peru, have recommended larger hemisphere defense roles and additional grant assistance for those countries. In most cases, the other Governments have themselves submitted requests for additional assistance. The Department of State assumes that the present Defense Department appraisal of the Latin American program will take these recommendations and requests into account, with a view to determining whether their approval, in whole or in part, would be in the United States military interest.
In view of the significant political implications of the decisions referred to above, it would be extremely helpful to the Department of State if the information requested above could be received at an early date.5
Sincerely yours,
- Drafted by Mr. Spencer on Nov. 12; cleared with the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, the Offices of Regional American Affairs, South American Affairs, and Middle American Affairs, and the Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Mutual Security Affairs.↩
- Not printed. (720.5 MAP/10–3151) For the Acting Secretary of State’s reply, dated Nov. 9, 1951, see Foreign Relations, 1951, vol. ii, p. 1027.↩
- Not printed. (711.5632/10–2754)↩
- Vice Adm. Arthur C. Davis.↩
- No reply to this letter was received from the Department of Defense in 1954.↩