Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, The American Republics, Volume IX

810.20 Missions/8–2145

The Chairman of the State-War-Navy Subcommittee on Latin America (Warren) to the Ambassador in Peru (Pawley)

Washington, September 28, 1945.

My Dear Mr. Ambassador: Prior to his resignation from the Department, Mr. Rockefeller³² referred to me your letter to him of August 21, 1945, with which was enclosed a copy of your despatch of August 10³³ regarding the placement of United States military missions in the other American republics.

I have read your letter and despatch with great interest since it concerns a matter which has been under study in the Department for some time. As you know, the agenda for the various staff conversations contained a section asking whether the American republic with whom the conversations were being held desired the establishment of a United States military mission. It is contemplated that, upon request of the various governments concerned, military missions will be placed in those countries not now having them as part of the implementation of the staff conversations.

I agree thoroughly with your analysis of the advantages which may be derived from judicious activity of establishing military missions, and your thinking on this subject parallels that of the Department. We are anxious to achieve a program of standardization and recognize the important part which United States missions may play in this regard. However, as you point out, we must be careful not to send to the other American republics military equipment in such quantities and of such power as to upset the balance of their domestic economy and make them a threat to the peace of the hemisphere. Therefore it is most important that the military missions, keeping in mind the objective of limiting the armed forces to those necessary to maintain internal security, act, as you suggest, to deter unreasonable expenditures on armaments rather than as a medium through which the armed forces of the recipient government are unduly expanded. This demands that we in the State Department be completely informed of the activities of the military missions and be in a position to guide them from a political point of view.

Any further thoughts or suggestions on this general subject would be most welcome.

With kind personal regards,

Sincerely yours,

A. M. Warren

32. Prior to his resignation, accepted on August 25, 1945, Nelson A. Rockefeller was Assistant Secretary of State.
33. Neither printed.