811.20234/17: Airgram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Paraguay (Frost)
A–171. Your despatch no. 799, February 18.15 Department has considered carefully the matter of supplying publicity in the German language in Paraguay, realizing that the presence of large numbers of German-speaking families in the Encarnación and Villarrica regions presents a special circumstance.
Similar problems regarding publicity for foreign-language groups have arisen in various other American republics. However, the Department has opposed the distribution of material under United States Government auspices in languages other than English or that of the republic concerned. For one reason, it is desired to avoid any suggestion of a United States Government appeal to racial or linguistic groups within a republic over the head of the national government involved. This general policy has been preserved even in cases such as that reported by the Embassy, where the government involved seems to have no objection.
The Department would have no objection, however, to supplying a pro-democratic German-language publication with copies of our regular publicity material for its translation and use, should such a paper be authorized and established in Paraguay.
- Not printed.↩