Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The American Republics, Volume VII

710 Consultation 3 A/649: Airgram

The Ambassador in Paraguay (Frost) to the Secretary of State

Asunción, February 23, 1944—8:30 a.m.
[Received February 28—3 p.m.]

A–59. With further reference to the Department’s telegram No. 43, February 16, 8:00 p.m., and supplementing my telegram No. 110, February 21, 5:00 p.m.,⁵⁹ the following report is submitted regarding the political defense problems and corresponding control measures in Paraguay. The information already available to the Embassy has been supplemented by a comprehensive discussion with the Director of Confidential Matters in the Ministry of Interior.^* The topic headings used by the Committee in its report of March 30, 1943, are followed:

A. Control of Dangerous Aliens.

1. Registration of Nationals of the states of the Tripartite Pact⁶⁰ and states subservient to them has been effected. The Ministry of the Interior is watching such persons and states that in view of the fact that they are all known to the Ministry, their periodic personal appearance before the competent authorities is not being required.

2. A general register of foreigners, as recommended, is being maintained.

3. The central government office charged with the general direction of registration and archives, custody, and coordination of all proceedings and corresponding reports is the office of Sr. Mario Ferrario. Lack of government funds has prevented the establishment of any other office for this purpose. Mr. Ferrario states that he has only two employees.

4. The penalties provided for non-registration of aliens are in effect, according to Mr. Ferrario.

Since my despatch No. 1051 of May 28 [20], 1943⁶¹ a number of steps have been taken by the Paraguayan government to increase its control of aliens.

The Deutsche Volksbund has been dissolved, its premises closed, its records seized and made available to an officer of this Embassy. The German bank has been very efficiently intervened and is highly likely to be closed almost immediately. The Japanese colony has been intervened in a thorough and satisfactory manner. Complete registration and fingerprinting of Japanese is planned.

Italian subjects are not to be treated as enemy aliens (which description is more and more applied to Germans).

B. Abuse of Citizenship.

[5.] Information now available indicates that there have been only three naturalizations of Axis subjects within the last couple of years, two of whom were women. The court records of naturalizations, however, will be consulted in order to confirm this. Mr. Ferrario stated that he does not know of the cancellation of any naturalizations. In this connection he mentioned that the naturalization of aliens has been suspended until after the war.

C. Entry and Exit and Clandestine Crossing of National Frontiers.

6. No Axis subjects have been permitted to enter Paraguay except those who have already been resident in Argentina or Uruguay. Regarding possibility of illicit entry, it is admitted that it was possible, but to remain concealed once in this country would be almost impossible. The requirement of cédulas for foreigners apparently gives the government information regarding all foreigners entering the country.

7. Visa Requirements. Entry into the country by aliens is permitted only by means of visas granted by consular officers abroad after previous consultation with Paraguayan government.

8. Instructions have been issued to Paraguayan consular officers abroad in accordance with recommendations No. 6 and No. 7 above.

9. In order to obtain an exit permit, a sworn declaration is requested giving the destination and the purpose of the trip. A fee amounting to the equivalent of about 70 cents is collected for each declaration. Declarations not in accordance with proved activities would be the basis of criminal prosecution.

10. Mr. Ferrario has meetings from time to time with the police and the port police. The navy is also cooperating in the detention of all foreigners found on the frontiers without proper documents. Lack of motor boats and personnel makes complete control difficult.

11. Clandestine crossings. Six Nazis who have reached Paraguay from Brazil, where they had escaped from concentration camps at different times, were detained in Paraguay. Four of them are still confined to certain areas in this country; three in Ytacurubi and one in Encarnación, prohibited to leave those towns. The other two have escaped.

D. Control of International Communications.

12. All international communications are controlled by the government, and censorship of mail, telegrams and cables, and long distance telephone calls has been instituted. Two American censors were accepted and the Director of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs has cooperated very efficiently with our efforts to block enemy communications. The government has a black-list which is used in censoring postal correspondence. Axis nationals, when applying for permission to make long distance telephone calls outside the country, have to specify the time of the proposed conversation, and an official of the office of the Ministry of Interior then listens to the conversation. No cases have been discovered in which information unfavorable to the United Nations has been transmitted by telephone. Amateur radio transmission continues but a monitoring service exists.

E. Protection against Sabotage.

13. No sabotage in this country is known and although, at first, important equipment and installations, including frigorificos, were guarded, this practice has been abolished, “as all of the Axis citizens employed thereon have been investigated and found to be not dangerous.” This includes Axis citizens working on the railroad and in the post office.

F. National Advisory Committee for Political Defense.

14. Mr. Ferrario says that the National Advisory Committee still exists and that it meets every month or two, according to circumstances, in order to deal with matters which Mr. Ferrario cannot settle alone. He mentioned that the committee recently recommended that the naturalization of aliens be suspended until after the war, and that this measure has been agreed to by the government, as mentioned above.

Conclusion and Recommendation:

While it would seem desirable to have certain of the above controls tightened, it is not believed that much improvement is practicable at the present time in view of the limitations imposed by the military character of the present government, the great confidence which the president reposes in the chief of police and chief of investigations, and the difficulty of extending present control measures without a considerable expenditure of funds, not at present available for the purpose.

This Embassy, however, is not entirely in accord with the statement mentioned under A. 1, that nationals of Axis countries and their subordinate states are adequately watched by the Ministry of Interior since they are all known to that Ministry, and therefore, as stated in my telegram No. 110, February 21, 5:00 p.m., it is recommended that subjects of Axis countries and their subordinate states be required to appear before the competent authorities at such periodic intervals as may be practicable, in view of the large numbers in the country and the small personnel available to the authorities.

Frost

59. Neither printed.
60. Sr. Mario Ferrario. [Footnote in the original.]
60. German-Italian-Japanese agreement signed at Berlin, September 27, 1940, League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. cciv, p. 386. See also Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. ii, pp. 153 ff.
61. Not printed.