Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The American Republics, Volume VII

Quito Embassy files, 1944, IX, 820

Instructions for Staff Conversations With Military and Naval Representatives of the Other American Republics⁵

[Washington, undated.]

General

1. The Government of the United States, realizing that the threat of aggression upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the American republics has been largely removed, but mindful of the importance of joint action for mutual protection in the future, believes it timely to consider the problem of the post-war military security of the hemisphere. It wishes to do so in accordance with the principles of inter-American collaboration embodied in the “Declaration of Lima”,⁶ and underlying Resolution XV of the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers at Havana.⁷

2. As a result of the security of this hemisphere being endangered in 1940, military and naval officials of the United States and of most of the other American republics have held discussions and reached agreements regarding the best means to meet the common dangers which confronted them.⁸ In 1941, after the passage of the Lend-Lease Act,⁹ the United States negotiated Lend-Lease agreements with eighteen of the other American republics¹⁰ as an additional means of furthering cooperation for defense.

3. The military authorities of the United States believe that the time has now come to reexamine, in the light of changed conditions, the existing arrangements and again to exchange information regarding future hemisphere defense. To this end they are holding, or will shortly hold, bilateral joint staff conversations with each of the republics, except Argentina.

4. It is the belief of the United States military and naval authorities that the American republics should be assured of the minimum supply from a secure source of arms adequate for them to share in the defense of the continent and to carry out responsibilities within a general security system.

(a) The amount and character of arms necessary for this purpose should be subject to the overriding considerations of any eventual system of general security and arrangements for international regulation of armament which may be brought about.

(b) Adequate control of the supply of arms should be established in such a manner as to contribute to the further growth of collaboration and mutual confidence.

5. In order to accomplish these purposes, the military authorities of the United States wish to discuss the nature of the forces to be maintained in each of the republics and eventually to reach understandings regarding other forms of military cooperation.

(a) In the interest of further collaboration, the United States would consider continuing to furnish arms to the other republics under mutually satisfactory terms.

(b) The United States believes that true integration of inter-American defense would be facilitated by the adoption of standard equipment by the armed forces of the American republics and to attain this objective is prepared to cooperate with the other American republics.

[Here follows section 6, on strategic military areas.]

7. Approved Policies

(a) “The United States will employ its armed forces to assist any republic to defeat attacks on it by the armed forces of a non-American state, or by Fifth Column groups supported by a non-American state, when requested so to do by the recognized government of the republic concerned.” (Instructions for Staff Conversation—1940)¹¹

(b) “The United States will assist American republics to acquire armaments, to train their personnel, and to provide the assistance of such advisers as may be desired and available. In the supply of armaments, the United States will assist to the extent that its resources, present program and legal restrictions permit, either by releasing material from its existing stocks, or by making available the necessary manufacturing capacity in government or commercial plants.” (Instructions for Staff Conversations—1940.)

(c) International cooperative action must include eventual adjustment of national armaments in such a manner that the rule of law cannot be successfully challenged and that the burden of armaments may be reduced to a minimum. (Press statement by Secretary of State Cordell Hull, 21 March 1944.)¹²

(d) This Government is committed to collaboration with other American republics through inter-American and bilateral arrangements for mutual defense. It has been this Government’s policy to avoid entering into formal offensive or defensive alliances.

(e) From the viewpoint of military considerations the United States favors appropriate measures designated to equip the armed forces of the other American republics in the greatest possible proportion with United States manufactured matériel. (Stettinius letter of 29 Feb 44.¹³)

8. Assumptions

(a) That the United States alone, or in collaboration with other powers, will maintain adequate armed forces to prevent any large scale aggression against any part of the western hemisphere.

(b) That the American republics will, in the future, have a role to play, within the framework of a general international security organization, in the maintenance of peace and security within this hemisphere.

(c) That the total armed forces maintained by each country will be in harmony with the foreign and domestic policies of the country concerned, its national resources, its topography, geographical position, manpower and economy.

(d) That the armed forces maintained by the other American republics will, in general, be for the following purposes:

(1) To augment the armed forces of the United States in maintaining the security of the western hemisphere.

(2) To maintain internal order and security.

(3) To provide local defense against isolated attacks or raids.

(4) To protect coastwise shipping.

(5) To augment the armed forces of the United States in protecting overseas commerce.

(6) To provide facilities for the use of such United States or other American forces as may be required for protection against external aggression.

9. General Objectives

(a) The ultimate purpose of these preliminary staff conversations is to establish on a permanent basis the military relations of the United States and the other American republics so as to promote with respect to the American continent, the United States policy regarding the organization of peace and security.

(b) The conversations have the intermediate purpose of laying the foundation for agreements among the American republics as to the armed forces to be maintained by each of them and the relationships which are to exist between the armed forces of the other republics and those of the United States.

(c) The introduction of American matériel to the exclusion of foreign matériel in order to permit uniformity of supply in the event of joint operations.

(d) The introduction of United States air, ground and naval missions in those countries where such missions have not already been introduced and where applicable.

(e) The introduction of United States organization, operating and training methods.

(f) The elimination of inter-American jealousies with the end in view that all American republics will act in concert to combat non-American influences and aggressions.

10. Tasks

(a) To ascertain the desires of the governments of the various American republics relative to size and composition of post-war armed forces.

(b) To furnish to the representatives of the other American republics basic cost data and advice relative to the maintenance of armed forces to the end that their desires in this respect will be held to a minimum.

(c) To discuss the question of United States training missions with a view to their being requested for the purpose of introducing United States training methods and doctrine.

(d) To discuss standardization of armaments with a view to the elimination of matériel of foreign manufacture in the American republics.

(e) To discuss military training requirements in the United States of the government concerned.

11. Factors to be Considered

(a) Foreign policies of the country concerned especially as they relate to the United States and other American republics.

(b) Domestic policies affecting the armed forces such as: economics, educational and industrial policies.

(c) National resources, including: population, area, length of coast line, national income, probable annual budget available to the armed forces, principal industries, strategic materials, total manpower available for military and naval duties, skilled workmen, communication and transportation facilities—rail, truck, bus, ship, automobile and air.

(d) General strategic considerations affecting military collaboration with the United States and other American republics in hemisphere defense, such as: racial characteristics, intelligence level, mechanical aptitude of personnel, geographic and hydrographic features, topography, situation in relation to assumed enemies, foreign commerce by ships and air, coastal commerce and communications.

(e) Military and Naval Forces: Organization; manpower standing forces, reserves and untrained; navy bases; air bases; merchant marine; shipbuilding resources; aircraft production; munitions and small arms production; mobility of ships; logistic support.

12. Joint Use of Operational Facilities

The question of arrangements respecting the maintenance and use of certain operational facilities for purposes of future hemisphere defense cannot be appropriately discussed in these staff conversations. In the event that the question is broached by representatives of any of the other American republics the United States representatives should merely state that they are not informed on the premises.

13. Disclosures

The substance of paragraph 1 to 9(b) inclusive, with the exception of paragraph 6, may be disclosed to the military and naval representatives of the other American republics.

14. Nature of Report

Reports submitted as a result of staff conversations with military and naval representatives of the other American republics will be in three parts as follows:

1. A tabulation and justification thereof of the proposed strength, organization, material and training program for the Army, Navy and Air Forces of the country concerned. These tabulations will preferably be secured from the Army and Navy representatives of the republic concerned, based on the results of the staff conversations.

2. The remarks and recommendations of the United States staff officers taking part in the conversations concerning the above tabulations, together with comments as to the justification thereof.

3. Pertinent information relative to the willingness of the government concerned, as indicated by the military and naval representatives, to standardize on matériel of American design or manufacture, to standardize on United States Army and Navy tables of organization, to accept United States ground, navy and air training missions, to exchange obsolete matériel of foreign manufacture for American matériel, and any other pertinent data having a bearing on the military relationship between United States and the government concerned.

15. Annexes¹⁴

I Army Ground Force Plan.

II Army Air Force Plan.

III Navy Plan.

5. These instructions were formulated by the War and Navy Departments in cooperation with the State Department for the guidance of Military and Naval Attachés in the other American Republics.
6. Declaration of the Principles of the Solidarity of America, known as the “Declaration of Lima”, approved December 24, 1938. For text, see Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Eighth International Conference of American States, Lima, Peru, December 9–27, 1938 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1941), p. 189. For correspondence concerning the Lima Conference, see Foreign Relations, 1938, vol. v, pp. 1 ff.
7. For correspondence concerning this meeting, held July 21–30, 1940, see ibid., 1940, vol. v, pp. 180 ff. For text of Resolution XV concerning reciprocal assistance and cooperation for the defense of the Americas, see Department of State Bulletin, August 24, 1940, p. 136.
8. For correspondence concerning these discussions and agreements, see Foreign Relations, 1940, vol. v, pp. 257 ff.
9. 55 Stat. 31.
10. For correspondence on lend-lease negotiations with the American Republics, see the pertinent country in Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. vi .
11. See telegram 76, May 23, 1940, noon, to Buenos Aires, Foreign Relations, 1940, vol. v, p. 16.
12. Department of State Bulletin, March 25, 1944, p. 275.
13. Ante, p. 93.
14. Not attached to file copy of this document.