811.20 Defense (M)/1658: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Armour) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:20 p.m.]
302. Embassy’s No. 298, April 8, 9 p.m.76 Mr. Grumbach77 told a member of staff today that after discussing the tungsten question further it was the consensus of opinion among the Argentine officials concerned that it would be advisable to follow the “Williams plan”, see Embassy’s telegram 252, April 1, 3 p.m.,76 saying that “after all the main thing is to prevent tungsten from going to the Far East”. He said they felt that the most practical and expeditious means to this end would be to start purchases through commercial channels and added that this could be done without prejudice to the possible creation later of a government sales entity. He states that the Central Bank would not put any obstacles in the way of forward contracting [sic] but on the contrary would be disposed to facilitate the carrying out of the so-called “Williams plan” involving contracting for future production. He stressed the impossibility of quick action in creating a Government sales organization with three separate Ministries involved.
In substantiation of his price offer set forth in the Embassy’s telegram last referred to, Williams reports that the lamp division of Westinghouse [Page 362] Electric and Manufacturing Company of Bloomfield, New Jersey, has placed an order with Minerales and Metales for 25 tons of wolframite from their Sominar78 mine for shipment during July and August at $22.50 per short ton unit c.i.f. New York.