810.74/480½: Telegram
The Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11 p.m.]
3736. My 3525, September 10, 4 p.m.74 I have just received the following informal notes from Aranha75 dated September 18 and 19, respectively:
(1) “With reference to Your Excellency’s note of September 8, regarding radiotelegraphic communications with the Axis countries, I telegraphed the Embassies of Brazil in Santiago and Buenos Aires on this subject. The latter informs me that the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs76 said that Argentine technicians are studying the matter. He suggested that when the study is concluded, there should be an exchange of ideas among Brazilian, Argentine, and Chilean technicians with a view of possibly taking appropriate uniform measures.
It was further stated to Ambassador Rodriguez77 that the Argentine Government had requested the Government of the United States of America to furnish an apparatus of American invention capable of identifying clandestine radio telegraph stations but that thus far it had not received a reply which leads it to suppose that the apparatus is secret.
(2) With reference to my letter of the 18th instant, the Brazilian Embassy in Santiago advises me that the Chilean Government continues to study with great interest the matter of prohibiting the use of codes by the diplomatic representatives of the Axis countries. The Chilean Government, however, calls attention to the recommendation of the Inter-American Neutrality Committee of June 22, 1940, favorable to the use of codes.78
On the other hand the Government of Chile believes that the application of a prohibitive measure in the case of the Axis diplomatic missions would remove a motive which might be involved in case it has to justify the breaking off of relations at some future date”.