701.3261/1–2147: Telegram
The Ambassador in Brazil (Pawley) to the Secretary of State
81. Embtel 2032 of December 23.1 Today’s press carries text of Brazilian note to Moscow relating to incident involving Brazilian Embassy secretary. Note admits right of Soviet Government demand removal of secretary, but states justification not obligatory; denies that secretary’s actions attributable to alcohol but to anger and reaction against unnecessary humiliation and physical violence; blames manager of hotel and State official for knowingly humiliating secretary and thus making himself responsible for damages done, which Brazilian Govt categorically refuses to pay; takes occasion to allege “lamentable happenings indirectly associated with precarious conditions of the Brazilian Embassy installations in Moscow and that there is lack of reciprocity in facilities granted Brazilian representatives in Moscow compared to treatment accorded Soviet representatives in Brazil”, “a state of affairs which must not continue”; states that if conditions of installation not improved Brazilian Govt “will be forced not to maintain, at least with the present category and composition, its representation in USSR”.
Foreign Minister2 at same time announced that Brazilian Ambassador to USSR3 has been granted permission to go to Stockholm sanitorium for medical treatment. Any connection between this and note denied.
Please repeat to Moscow.
- Not printed. According to this telegram, the Brazilian Secretary of the Embassy in Moscow was said to have “committed imprudences” in a restaurant on December 8–9. The Soviet Foreign Minister protested, requested the expulsion of the offending diplomat, and payment of damages (701.3261/12–2346).↩
- Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov.↩
- Pimental Brandão.↩