800.857/718½: Telegram
The Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:10 p.m.]
184. For the Under Secretary. Our shipping situation has become more than serious in view of the recent very heavy sinkings off the northeast: 5 lost for instance out of a Trinidad–Bahia convoy January 10. I know that our Navy, aided in their small way by the Brazilian Navy, is doing valiant service, but evidently the Germans have concentrated packs of submarines off the northeast coast.
I emphasize that I am not complaining: only pointing out facts: you can easily comprehend the effects, material as well as political, of these losses here, especially in view of our already very tight shipping situation and the acute shortage of coal, and other newsprint products here.
Obviously these sinkings have thrown into confusion all locations of supplies of many vital materials, mail service, et cetera, et cetera, not to mention the fact that the value of our tremendous purchases of strategic materials is based on our ability to get them to the United States.
The manifests of three ships recently sunk show the following critically needed materials were lost on those vessels alone: 474 bags of mail; special railway equipment for port of Rio de Janeiro; rails and accessories for Ciario Doce, S. A., rails for the Central do Brasil; scientific apparatus and lubricating oil for Naval Attaché; substantial quantities of steel products, boiler tubes, et cetera, for the Brazilian Navy; large quantities of plates, bars, sheets and other iron and steel products; large quantities of chemical products; mining machinery; tin plate; railway steel tires; bleached wood pulp; personal effects of Embassy employees; textile machinery; supplies for Embassy; 83 tons special paper for Bouças;27 lubricating oils; caustic soda; equipment for the airplane motor factory.
The tanker Broadarrow was also sunk carrying diesel fuel oil, et cetera, for Rio again bringing about a more than serious oil situation here.
- Presumably Valentim Bouças, Assistant to the Coordinator of Economic Mobilization.↩