810.24/10–1644
The Secretary of the Navy (Forrestal) to the Secretary of State
My Dear Mr. Secretary: I refer to your letter of August 17, 1944 in regard to the policy to be followed in the assignment of Lend Lease material to the other American Republics.
[Page 104]I referred your letter to the Joint Chiefs of Staff through the Commander in Chief and Chief of Naval Operations26 for study and comment.
By memorandum dated 5 September 1944 to the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed the opinion that, from the Military point of view, the present policies governing Lend Lease to the Latin American Republics should be continued in effect. They felt that, from the long range point of view, national interest will be served best by supplying these Republics with standardized equipment of American manufacture in amounts appropriate to the size and composition of the forces each country should maintain for purposes of hemispheric security.
In implementing the current approved policies during the present condition of relative security of the Americas, the Joint Chiefs of Staff perceive no Military objection to according controlling weight to State Department policy in the determination of the order of priority in point of time of issues of equipment among the Latin American Republics.
Sincerely yours,
- Reference is presumably to Adm. Ernest J. King, Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, and Chief of Naval Operations.↩