Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The American Republics, Volume VIII

833.34/1–3047

The Ambassador in Uruguay ( McGurk ) to the Secretary of State

confidential
No. 228

Montevideo , January 30, 1947.

Sir: With reference to the Embassy’s despatch no. 178 of January 22, 1947, transmitting a memorandum² on military matériel pending delivery from the United States which the President-elect of Uruguay³ handed to me, I have the honor to enclose a further memorandum⁴ prepared by the Uruguayan Navy and entitled “Purchases in the United States” which the President-elect delivered to me.

It will be observed that the Uruguayan Navy states that it has available the sum of approximately $3,200,000 for purchases, and that it desires to acquire at least one destroyer, indicating that it would accept a used vessel in good general state which has been modernized, and that the destroyer could be of the types constructed in the years 1935–36. The Navy Department is fully aware of the long-standing desire of the Uruguayan Navy to acquire a vessel of the destroyer class.⁵

The President-elect in handing me the memorandum made no comment other than to say that it was one of the matters that he would wish to discuss during his stay in Washington⁶ and that he presumed we should like to have the memorandum before his arrival.

Respectfully yours,

For the Ambassador:

Edward J. Sparks

Counselor of Embassy

2. Neither printed.
3. Tomás Berreta.
4. Not printed.
5. In his despatch 349, March 13, 1948, Ambassador Briggs indicated that the request for a destroyer was dropped in favor of four frigates (833.34/5–1348).
6. In telegram 95, undated, received March 1, 1947, Ambassador McGurk noted that President Berreta in his inaugural address stressed that during his visit to the United States in February, 1947, he had requested, not financial aid, but machines and tools to increase production (833.001 Berreta, Tomás/3–147).