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

810.20 Defense/3640

The Acting Secretary of State to Admiral William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy

Washington, February 29, 1944.

My Dear Admiral Leahy: I acknowledge herewith receipt of your letter of December 30, 1943, with which you enclosed a copy of a report by the Joint Advisory Board on American Republics. I note that this report has been approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This Department has given the report most careful consideration. We are in entire agreement with the view implicit in it that the continuance of close military and naval collaboration among the American republics is desirable in the future in order to ensure the security of the continent from external aggression. The Department also concurs in the opinion that the defense of the hemisphere and the effectiveness of collaboration would be materially furthered by the standardization of certain types of equipment, particularly combat matériel, among the armed forces of the American republics members of the inter-American system. Since the other American republics must import the greater part of their military matériel, we would therefore favor from the viewpoint of military considerations appropriate measures designed to equip their armed forces in the greatest possible proportion with United States-manufactured matériel.

I am pleased to inform you that the Department concurs with the recommendations contained in paragraph 5(a) of the Joint Advisory Board report, respecting the policy to be pursued henceforth in regard to the furnishing of military supplies and equipment to other American republics under existing Lend-Lease agreements. I believe it would be desirable in this connection for the State, War and Navy Departments to cooperate in the drafting of a statement of this new policy, together with the reasons for its adoption. This statement should be placed in the hands of all officials of this Government concerned with problems relating to the procurement of Lend-Lease supplies for the other American republics, for their general guidance and for use in conversations they may hold with representatives of other American republics on this subject.

The Department appreciates the need for revising existing Lend-Lease agreements with the other American republics and is in accord with the recommendation of the Advisory Board that revised agreements be negotiated at the earliest possible date.

While realizing that revision must be formalized prior to June 30, 1944, unless Congress takes action before that date to extend the Lend-Lease Act,⁶ I believe that the agreements cannot be revised until after the situation has been thoroughly and carefully studied. For that reason, I consider it highly desirable that exploratory bilateral joint staff conversations with certain of the other American republics be undertaken immediately. These conversations should, in my opinion, cover the following points:

a. The nature of the armed forces which the respective states contemplate maintaining after the present emergency;

b. Questions relating to the procurement of armaments and matériel for the armed forces of the American republics;

c. Matters relating to the work of United States military, naval and air missions in those countries where they are now established, and to the possibility of sending such missions to countries which do not now have them; training and technical educational facilities in the United States which it may seem desirable to make available to military and naval personnel from the other American republics.

It will be very difficult to reach agreement with all of the republics on these points, especially on (a) and (b). Few attributes of sovereignty are as highly prized by states as that of determining the size, strength and organization of their armed forces, and the same is true of the freedom to purchase equipment wherever they may choose.

I realize that in view of the President’s letter to me of January 7, 1944,⁷ concerning air bases, the question of future arrangements respecting the maintenance and use of certain operational facilities for purposes of hemisphere defense cannot be appropriately discussed with military representatives of the other American republics at the present time in as much as no decision has as yet been reached regarding fundamental questions of policy in this connection. However, it is my opinion that this problem is one which those officers who will carry on staff conversations should have constantly in mind as a part of the background of their discussions. It is my hope that before long the situation will be such that conversations on this subject can be held with the other American republics.

This Department, while wishing to allow adequate latitude in the staff conversations, considers it appropriate to state its belief that, in approaching the military and naval authorities of the other American republics, the United States representatives should express themselves approximately along the lines set forth below:

a. The United States military (or naval) authorities, realizing that the threat of aggression upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the American republics has been largely removed, but mindful of the importance of joint action for mutual protection in the future, believe it timely to consider the problem of the post-war military security of the hemisphere. They wish to do so in accordance with the principles of inter-American collaboration embodied in the “Declaration of Lima”⁸ and underlying both Resolution XV of the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers at Havana⁹ and Resolution XXXIX of the Third Meeting at Rio de Janeiro.¹⁰

b. When the security of the hemisphere was endangered in 1940, military officials of the United States and of most of the other American republics held discussions regarding the best means to meet the common dangers which confronted them. The military authorities of the United States believe that the time has now come to re-examine, in the light of changed conditions, the arrangements which resulted from those discussions and again to exchange information regarding future hemisphere defense. To this end they are holding or will shortly hold bilaterial joint staff conversations with each of the republics, except Argentina and Bolivia.

c. It is the belief of the United States military authorities that the American republics should be assured of the minimum supply from a secure source of arms adequate for them to share in the defense of the continent and to carry out responsibilities within a general security system.

(1) The amount and character of arms necessary for this purpose should be the subject of inter-American understanding, subject to the considerations set forth in (d) below.

(2) Adequate control of the supply of arms should be established in such a manner as to contribute to the further growth of collaboration and mutual confidence.

d. The staff conversations should be conducted in the light of, and any understandings reached in or as a result of these conversations with other American republics should be subject to the overriding considerations of, any eventual system of general security and arrangements for international regulation of armaments which may be brought about.

e. In order to accomplish these purposes the military authorities of the United States wish to discuss the nature of the forces to be maintained in each of the republics and to reach understandings regarding other forms of military cooperation, as, for example, the manner in which arms might be supplied by one republic to another, military missions, et cetera.

(1) In the interest of further collaboration, the United States would consider continuing to furnish arms to the other republics under mutually satisfactory terms.

(2) The United States believes that true integration of the inter-American defense system would be facilitated by the adoption of standard equipment by the armed forces of the American republics and to attain this objective is prepared to cooperate with the other American republics.

In the event that the question of the mutual use of certain operational facilities for purposes of future hemisphere security is broached by representatives of any of the other American republics, I believe that the United States representatives should merely state that they assume that this Government is studying this matter but that they are not informed in the premises.

I believe that the War and Navy Departments jointly should make the decision as to whether Army and Navy staff conversations along the above lines should be conducted jointly or separately. Both Departments will naturally wish to have their conversations carried on by the best qualified officers who can be made available. It is of the utmost importance that the officers who are to engage in such conversations discuss the problems thoroughly with the proper officers of the Department prior to their departure, as well as the selection of the countries to be visited and the order in which the visits might take place. The Department will be pleased to have the Embassies in the field prepare the ground with the respective Governments for these visits.

I shall be glad to make specific recommendations regarding the revision of the existing Lend-Lease agreements once the Department has had an opportunity to study the results of these proposed conversations.

Sincerely yours,

Edward E. Stettinius, Jr.

6. “An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States,” approved March 11, 1941; 55 Stat. 31.
7. Post, p. 546.
8. Declaration of the Principles of the Solidarity of America, known as the “Declaration of Lima”, approved December 24, 1938. For text, see Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Eighth International Conference of American States, Lima, Peru, December 9–27, 1938 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1941), p. 189. For correspondence concerning the Lima Conference, see Foreign Relations, 1938, vol. v, pp. 1 ff.
9. For text of Resolution XV concerning reciprocal assistance and cooperation for the defense of the Americas, see Department of State Bulletin, August 24, 1940, p. 136; for correspondence concerning the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers, see Foreign Relations, 1940, vol. v, pp. 180 ff.
10. For text of Resolution XXXIX concerning the appointment of an Inter-American Defense Board, see Department of State Bulletin, February 7, 1942, p. 139; for correspondence concerning the Third Meeting of Foreign Ministers, see Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. v, pp. 6 ff.