832.20/567: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery)
4659. Definite plans cannot be made for the transportation of the First Division of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, with reference to your 5686, December 13, 3 p.m., until that Division has been assembled and organized in one place, received basic training, and familiarized itself with basic weapons, none of which has yet been done. These steps will take several months. The Brazil-United States Defense Commission has been advised that transports will probably not be available before May because of commitments for other purposes. However, there is much that can be done in Brazil and the efforts there will materially assist planning here to arrange for participation as soon as possible. You will thus see that the schedule necessarily depends largely upon how actively and promptly the Brazilian Government takes the necessary preliminary steps.
If there are no further delays in the assembling of the fighter squadron, it should be ready for participation in early spring and the transport of this air unit would not present the same problem as a division.
With regard to Recommendation No. 14 of the Brazil-United States Defense Commission, you will recall that it was based upon the strategical situation of danger to the hemisphere which then still existed but has disappeared with the elimination of Axis forces from Africa. It also provided that the bases for delivery of the material mentioned in it would be (1) availability with due consideration to needs in active theatres; (2) organizational readiness of units in Brazil to receive the equipment; and (3) a list of priorities for delivery set merely as an objective, it being clearly stated in the Recommendation that it was realized that the availability of material was not such as to permit full compliance. The War Department’s letter approving [Page 653] the Recommendation made it clear that it was accepted purely for planning purposes subject to changing conditions and that there was no “commitment”.
Nevertheless, this Government has furnished training equipment for one division, which was diverted to Rio de Janeiro by agreement instead of being used in the northeast as contemplated in Recommendation No. 14, and a large amount of extra artillery equipment. Much of this matériel has not yet been distributed in Brazil and the units to receive it have not been fully organized. As soon as the detailed requisition for training materiel for a second division is submitted by the Brazilian Mission here, active steps will be taken to supply the training needs within the limitations of availability of equipment. The War Department points out that there is considerable lend-lease equipment already in Brazil which could be used temporarily in training the divisions instead of delaying until the receipt of additional equipment. This Government is thus making every effort to meet Brazil’s defense requirements as fully as possible, despite the changed circumstances since Recommendation No. 14.
Please inform President Vargas in confidence of the substance of the foregoing.
For your own information, it may be said that the War and Navy Departments and this Department are reviewing the policy of Lend-Lease to the other American republics with the probability that it will in the future largely be restricted to ends directly connected with the active prosecution of the war. Since Brazil is directly cooperating in this effort, deliveries to it would obviously not be affected to any material degree, as they probably will be to other countries which are not such active participants in the war.