Office of the Historian

740.24112A/8–1844

The Chargé in Bolivia (McLaughlin) to the Secretary of State

[Extract]
No. 4192
La Paz, August 18, 1944.
[Received August 23.]

Sir: I have the honor to refer to the proposed program to replace Axis firms in Bolivia and to the recent visit of Francis H. Russell, Chief of the Division of World Trade Intelligence of the Department, to Bolivia from August 12 to August 16, and to report that during the course of Mr. Bussell’s visit the Bolivian Government, through the [Page 529] President and important Cabinet members (including the Minister of Foreign Relations), gave its assurances to proceed as promptly as possible to execute a program to replace the important Axis spearhead firms and interests, as enumerated in a memorandum of the Embassy49 through expropriation and resale.

This Embassy considers the assurances received from the President, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of National Economy as the strongest commitment yet received in connection with the proposed replacement program.50

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Respectfully yours,

For the Chargé d’Affaires a. i.
Walter P. McConaughy

Commercial Attaché
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. For the substance of the remainder of this despatch, see telegram 1446, July 28, 5 p.m., p. 526.↩