800.8830/2203: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Armour) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:35 p.m.]
376. Department’s 129, January 26, 5 p.m.; and 206, February 12, 7 p.m.66 Flota Mercante has given Embassy an informal memorandum saying it hopes shortly to increase newsprint tonnage to about 2,100 tons per month. In return it would like to obtain following concessions:
- (1)
- Ship warrant provisions effective January 4 not to be applied to Flota boats in manner to delay or impede operations or port movements, since the aforementioned provisions promulgated October 1 and War Shipping Administration Flota agreement was dated October 16.67 Land68 and Stewart had decided that warrants would not be required for Flota boats in the event of agreement.
- (2)
- Permission to carry to the United States certain quantities casein and/or linseed, also larger quantities wool.
- (3)
- Arrangement for transporting Pocohantas coal necessary for bunkering Río Paraná for return from Los Angeles, plus special rail freight concession therefor. This request already initialed by Flota’s New York agents Boyd Weir and Sewell.
With reference to the Department’s telegram 206, Flota memorandum did not mention fresh fruits. Embassy unable to confirm conference between Minister of Agriculture and President, or to find close tie-up in governmental thinking between newsprint and fresh fruit in paragraph 2 its above memorandum.
Flota today informally advised us of decision to take the two 100 tons previously referred to its memorandum, and confirmation of this [Page 407] expected shortly. Bares of Flota confidentially mentioned possibility of increasing to 2,500 tons later.
Embassy suggests Flota memorandum be discussed with Bohan69 who left for Washington today.