Office of the Historian

740.35112 RP/1–3147

The Chargé in Argentina (O’Donoghue) to the Secretary of State

confidential
No. 1779–A
Buenos Aires, January 31, 1947.

Subject: Final Disposition of Enemy Property in Argentina.

Sir: Reference is made to the Embassy’s telegram no. 87 of 6:00 p.m. January 24, 1947 and Embassy’s despatch no. 1741 of January 28, 1947,25 both respecting Argentine Decree no. 1921 of January 24, 1947 whereby enemy property in Argentina is acquired by the State by virtue of purchase through the Banco Central from the Junta de Vigilancia y Disposición Final de la Propiedad Enemiga. In this connection the Embassy now has the honor to offer the following observations:

Due to varying lists of firms which have appeared in the press as coming under the provision of this Decree, and for the purpose of obtaining a clear understanding of the application thereof, officers of the Embassy have conferred with an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who, under the supervision of the Minister, is primarily concerned with the preparation and operation of the Decree, and received from him the interpretation of that Ministry.

According to the aforementioned official, this Decree is applicable to all enemy property in Argentina. It includes those firms previously determined by the Junta as enemy, many of which had been transferred to the Banco Central for disposition; it includes all firms which may, in the future, be so determined; it includes the enemy pharmaceutical firms for which a project of law is now before the Congress providing for their nationalization*; and it includes all fractional participations, credits, or obligations officially determined as enemy-owned. From the foregoing it would therefore appear that technically there now exists no identified enemy-owned property in Argentina and that henceforth the administration, determination, and valuation of this property becomes solely an internal Argentine matter. The Embassy [Page 173] will of course continue to supply to the Argentine authorities such proof of enemy ownership as becomes available.

[Here follows a list of firms in which enemy interests had been identified.]

Respectfully yours,

For the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim:
Howard H. Tewksbury

Counselor of Embassy for Economic Affairs
  1. Latter not printed.↩
  2. Embassy Despatch no. 1024 of October 16, 1946; Subject: Nationalization of Former Axis Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Argentina. [Footnote in the original.]↩