810.20 Defense/8–1540: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Paraguay ( Howard )
25. As a result of certain conversations held in Washington during the visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, between him, the Paraguayan Minister at Washington and the Under Secretary of State, it has been agreed by the two Governments to hold staff conversations between officers of the United States Army and Navy and officers of the Paraguayan Army in connection with plans for hemisphere defense and supplementing similar conversations which will be held between representatives of this Government and of all of the other American republics.
Lieutenant Colonel R. L. Christian, U. S. Army and Captain W. D. Brereton, U. S. Navy, have been designated respectively to represent the War and Navy Departments in these proposed conversations. It is expected that they will leave Buenos Aires August 23 for Asunción in time for the conversations to begin in that capital on August 26. Following the termination of their conversations in Asunción, Colonel Christian and Captain Brereton will proceed to Montevideo to undertake similar conversations. A separate telegram13 is being sent you outlining the agenda for the proposed conversations, a copy of which was handed to the Paraguayan Minister for Foreign Affairs. It is understood that the text of this agenda was telegraphed to the Paraguayan Government by the Minister here. However, you are authorized to communicate the copy in confirmation to the appropriate authorities of the Paraguayan Government in confidence.