823.248/244: Telegram
The Ambassador in Peru ( Norweb ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:50 p.m.]
551. The Secretary General of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked me to call today to discuss with him a matter that the President had requested him to take up with me. The principal subject of our conversation was the retention of the 18 planes purchased from the Norwegian Government by the Peruvian Government.
The United Press despatch of last evening regarding the division [diversion?] of these planes to Russia was censored here and has not been published. Dr. Bellido considers the diversion of these planes [Page 511] as unfriendly. I took immediate exception to this and replied that it was a case of the planes being more urgently needed elsewhere. Dr. Bellido then said that Peruvian resentment was due to the manner in which the case had been handled. I suggested that any observations regarding this phase might be made by the Peruvian Ambassador at Washington to the Department. Dr. Bellido stated that this might be done and that he hoped that the Department would make some clarifying statement. I replied that if Peru were to make any statement regarding the case I supposed that naturally my Government would also make a statement; and that I believed the entire matter should be viewed as a contribution which Peru could make to the defense of the cause of democracies. …