Foreign Relations of the United States, The Conferences at Washington, 1941–1942, and Casablanca, 1943

811.7441/41

The Assistant Secretary of State (Long) to the President ¹

[Washington, December 27, 1941.²]

Suggestions for cooperation between communication facilities owned or controlled by american or British interests in other parts of the world

There are two matters of radio communication which may prove troublesome; so I present them to you as briefly and succinctly as possible in the hope you may be able to present them jointly to Mr. Churchill and obtain his cooperation in solutions.

First. Direct radio telegraphic communication should be permitted and established between the United States and the various parts of the British Empire. Now all messages must go to London and be relayed. This imposes extra burden on the communication facilities in England and retards the delivery of messages. The military and naval authorities are urgently pressing me to arrange direct communication. I have just succeeded in doing so with Australia. Negotiations for circuits to India and South Africa are not proceeding satisfactorily or rapidly. I feel very strongly that we should have direct communications with those particular places immediately and that we should have as a matter of course direct communication to other parts of the Empire as and when our diplomatic, military and naval dispositions require it.

Second. Somewhat more delicate but of equal importance and of pressing urgency is the question of radio communication in South America. Private companies operate the radio facilities in Argentina, Brazil and Chile and are in direct communication with Tokyo, Berlin and Borne. Also they communicate to and from “Blacklist”³ firms in South America and serve as the medium for exchange of information between those firms and from them to Japan, Germany and Italy.

It is a very bad set-up in that it ties our enemies together as well as holds our neighbors closer in contact to our enemies.

The ownership of these companies is partly American, partly British, partly German and partly Italian (?)⁴ in about equal shares. Recently the R.C.A. and British interests have increased their holdings so they now own a majority of stock. We have tried to induce them to cease working their beams to Rome, Berlin and Tokyo but have had no success whatever in obtaining the help of the British interests. It is patent we will make no headway unless the British Government itself takes the matter in hand and directs that its own citizens, resident in England, cooperate whole-heartedly with us in our efforts to close these circuits. Obviously we will then have to secure the cooperation of the governments in South America, but we will not be in a position even to ask that unless the British cooperate.

The I.T. & T. operates one station at Lima and is doing the same thing but it has asked us to take steps with the Government of Peru to permit it to stop. The Government of Peru has indicated its willingness, if requested,—but we have not seen fit to close that one circuit if the others continue because to do so would not prevent communication with and between our enemies but would only cause a rerouting of messages to the other circuits.

Something ought to be done immediately.

I hope you can present these mutual problems to Mr. Churchill and secure from him a directive to the appropriate officials of his Government and ask him to instruct his Ambassador in Washington to confer with me at his earliest convenience so we can arrange satisfactorily both of these questions.

I am attaching two supporting memoranda, one on each subject, in case you want more information than the necessarily limited amount given in this memorandum.

[Attachment 1]

December 27, 1941.

Subject: Direct Communication with various Elements of the British Empire.

In the present state of the world emergency and considering,

• First, the close cooperation of the British and American Governments and
• Second, the presence of American diplomatic, military, naval and air personnel on active duty in or near various parts of the British Empire—

It is essential that telegraphic communication by radio be established between the United States and these scenes of activity.

The Department of State has been in negotiation with Australia, India and South Africa in an effort to establish direct communication with those three countries. The Department has also been in communication through our Embassy at London with the British Foreign Office in an effort to coordinate and expedite the agreements between that Government, its dominions and the United States. The Department has just succeeded in establishing communication to Australia. No progress has been made in establishing communications with South Africa or with India.

Under the present practice it is necessary to radio to England. The message from England is rebroadcast to destination. This practice requires an unnecessary use of the British radio receiving and transmitting facilities in England and of radio wave bands and frequencies to and from England in that it is unnecessary for these messages to proceed to England. By proceeding there, as they do, they consume time on wave lengths going into England and again consume time going out of England. The receiving and transmitting facilities in England are crowded. They could be relieved of a part of the load if these messages went direct to destination instead of to England. Furthermore, transmission direct would permit the additional use of wave bands by the British receiving and sending facilities because they would not be used by messages intended for India or South Africa.

In addition to these reasons which would simplify communication as far as England is concerned, direct communication from the United States to India and South Africa would expedite necessary communications to our diplomatic, military, naval and air representatives in those regions and would facilitate our necessary activities in connection with those areas.

Part of the difficulty in coming to agreement with the governments concerned seems to be the fact that Cables and Wireless Limited (a British private industry) has contracts with communicating companies in various parts of the British Empire, securing to itself a monopoly of communication and causing messages to be transmitted to England prior to their re-transmission to their companies in these various jurisdictions. Irrespective of the fact that Cables and Wireless might lose some revenue by reason of the diversion of traffic to direct channels, it would seem that the exigencies of the public service, both as regards that of Great Britain and that of the United States, assume an importance which transcends the convenience of private telegraph companies.

Having succeeded in securing direct radio telegraphic communication with Australia, it seems that an agreement for the extension of those facilities to India and South Africa could be very easily approved in principle by Mr. Churchill and directions given by him to his Government to carry them into immediate execution. The situation developing in the neighborhood of India justifies the immediate institution of direct communication. The sea route around Africa and other activities there have long since demonstrated the need for direct communication with Pretoria.

The acceptance in principle by the British Government of direct radio telegraphic facilities with various parts of the Empire, once accepted, could be utilized to establish communications from time to time, as circumstances develop, in various parts of the world. Direct communication would contribute to the closer cooperation and more immediate activity of the United States forces in the areas concerned.

[Attachment 2]

It is understood between the British and American Governments that it would be desirable to stop all communication between South American radio telegraph and radio telephone stations and Tokyo, Berlin and Rome respectively.

That some of the companies engaged in these communications are wholly American owned and controlled and others are partly American and British but controlled. [sic]

That the American Government and the British Government will adopt a concurrent policy and direct their respective nationals in control of these communications to close the circuits to the Axis.

That the American Government will then proceed at the Inter-American Conference about to be held at Bio de Janeiro and individually with the Governments of South American countries in the territories of which these communicating companies actually operate, to secure the cooperation of those Governments.

That time is of the essence considering the approaching Bio de Janeiro Conference and urgency is apparent.

1. The matter of control of telecommunications evidently was handled by Hopkins for the President. A memorandum of December 30 by Long recorded that he had explained the problem to Hopkins at the White House that morning and that the latter “understood the situation and said that he would present it to Mr. Churchill and that he hoped to have the complete accord by Saturday night. He is entirely in accord with the proposals.” (811.7441/42)
2. The date “Dec. 27, 1941?” has been written in pencil on the source text and on attachment 2. “December 27, 1941” was typewritten on attachment 1 as part of the original text.
3. For text of the Proclamation Authorizing a Proclaimed List of Certain Blocked Nationals and Controlling Certain Exports, July 17, 1941, see Department of State Bulletin, vol. v, July 19, 1941, p. 42, or 55 Stat. (pt. 2) 1657. For documents relating to the application of the Proclaimed List in Latin America, see Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. vi , and ibid., 1942, vols. v and vi , index entries under Proclaimed List.
4. In the copy in the Hopkins Papers, “Italian (?)” has been altered in ink to read “French”.