You will note that the list of countries and the forces each is to be
requested to make available reflects the recommendation regarding
Ecuador made by you in your letter to me dated 9 November 1951.1
Furthermore in addition to the tabulated countries and their force
contributions, I have recommended to the President that Venezuela be
included tentatively in the list of countries eligible to receive
military grant aid. This action again reflects another of the
recommendations contained in your letter referred to above. In the
case of this latter country, I consider that every effort should be
made to secure the full participation of Venezuela in the Mutual
Security Program by means of reimbursable aid; however, if in the
course of future conversations or negotiations it appears from a
political point of view that Venezuela’s omission from the list of
countries to receive military grant aid may threaten the defense and
continued flow of Venezuela’s strategic materials, this
consideration would be overriding. In such an event, the eligibility
of Venezuela to receive grant aid will have been established in the
finding by the President.
With further reference to your letter of 9 November 1951, I agree
that Brazil should be granted a high priority if any reallocation of
funds which may be required as a result of failure of one or more of
the other governments to qualify for inclusion in this year’s
program. However, the amount of military grant aid to be given to
Brazil should be in consonance with Brazil’s willingness to accept
hemisphere defense tasks, and also her ability to absorb efficiently
and utilize effectively such materiel assistance. Further any
reallocation of funds among the Latin American countries must be
effected so as to insure the balanced progress of the total
program.
On notification of the President’s action with reference to the
recommended findings, I understand that you are prepared to issue
the necessary instructions to the diplomatic missions in the
countries to be approached with a view to ascertaining whether the
governments of these countries are willing to enter upon
negotiations for the conclusions of the required agreements.
[Enclosure]
The Secretary of Defense (Lovett) to the President
top secret
Washington, December 5,
1951.
Dear Mr. President: Section 401 of the
Mutual Security Act of 1951 authorized the appropriation of
$38,150,000 for the purpose of furnishing grant military
assistance to the other American Republics. The Congress, in the
Mutual Security Appropriation Act, 1952, made such an
appropriation. However, the furnishing of such assistance is
contingent upon compliance with the relevant general provisions
of the Mutual Defense Assistance Act of 1949, as amended, and
upon several [Page 1034] special
provisions of the Mutual Security Act of 1951. Among the latter
is this requirement: “That such assistance may be furnished only
in accordance with defense plans which are found by the
President to require the recipient country to participate in
missions important to the defense of the Western
Hemisphere.”
The Department of Defense has for a number of years been giving
careful study to the roles which the various Latin American
countries might play in support of Western Hemisphere defense.
This study has resulted in the conclusion that in addition to
maintaining the minimum armed forces required to preserve
internal security (including the performance of such tasks as
protection against enemy clandestine operations or raids;
protection of sources, and of installations required in the
production or distribution, of strategic materials; safeguarding
vital lines of communication; and insuring the local security of
bases and other military installations), selected Latin American
countries could, provided that they were furnished adequate
equipment and training, supply forces capable of executing
certain specific and essential common defense missions within
this hemisphere. These missions, if not performed by the
selected countries, would necessitate the diversion of
substantial United States forces to the area in time of war. The
specific missions are based on a current United States war plan,
but the general concept of this plan is in consonance with the
Common Defense Scheme which was prepared multilaterally by the
Inter-American Defense Board and will also be reflected in the
defense plan currently being developed by the Board. Ten Latin
American governments and the United States have approved the
Common Defense Scheme and formal approval of this document, or
of the defense plan, by each of the proposed countries will be a
prerequisite to receipt of military grant aid under this
Program.
In accordance with the war plan, each of the Latin American
countries concerned will be asked to provide specific forces to
perform hemisphere defense missions. These forces will generally
be employed extra-territorially and the details regarding the
units to be provided by each country will be contained in the
military understandings which, together with the bilateral
agreements required by the Mutual Security Act of 1951, will be
negotiated with each country. It is considered highly desirable
from a military standpoint that the several Latin American
governments indicated in Tab (A), provided they can be assisted
by adequate military grant aid, make forces of the general types
and sizes shown available for the performance of hemisphere
defense missions in accordance with the war plan.
In advance of negotiations, it is of course not possible to know
within any accuracy the extent to which individual governments
are prepared to agree to provide specific forces of the types
indicated to [Page 1035] perform
hemisphere defense missions. Consequently, the details with
respect to the precise units which would be furnished by each
country will need to be negotiated with each government and
incorporated in the military understanding.
The Department of Defense has therefore recommended that the
several governments indicated in Tab (A) be approached and that,
upon agreement between the United States and the Latin American
nations concerned, programs be initiated to supply grant
military assistance for the purpose of supporting the forces to
be provided by each. The Department of Defense has further
recommended that in the event that satisfactory agreements
cannot be concluded with one of the nations, the following
course of action be followed:
- 1.
- In the case of army forces, one of the other countries
shown on the list would be asked to provide the
additional forces required. The decision as to which
nation to substitute would depend on the type of forces
to be furnished.
- 2.
- In the case of navy forces, one of the other nations
listed would be asked to supply the deficiency.
- 3.
- In the case of air forces, the following countries, in
the order of priority indicated, would be approached:
(a) Argentina; (b) Dominican Republic; and (c) Bolivia.
In requesting the concurrence of the Secretary of State from a
political standpoint in the foregoing list of proposed recipient
nations, I pointed out that the decision to include Argentina in
the Mutual Security Program was made only after an extensive
study and was based primarily on military considerations. I
further indicated that in view of the current political
situation in Argentina, the Secretary of State might wish to
delay negotiations with that country until a more appropriate
time.
The Secretary of State has concurred in the foregoing proposals
with respect to the countries to be approached subject, however,
to a specific recommendation with regard to including Venezuela
as a recipient of grant aid.
Venezuela was not included in the original list because, in the
course of military staff conversations earlier this year,
Venezuelan military authorities stated that the Venezuelan
government would purchase any of the equipment which might be
required for its defense forces. The Secretary of State has
recommended that Venezuela be included tentatively in the list
of countries proposed as recipients of grant aid pending
verification of the ability and willingness of the Venezuelan
government to pay its own way in procuring the equipment
required by those forces which it should support in order to
carry out vital hemisphere defense missions. In order to secure
the continued flow of strategic materials to the United States
and in view of the possibility [Page 1036] that political considerations may become
overriding as a result of future conversations, I concur in the
recommendation of the Secretary of State to include Venezuela
tentatively in the list of countries eligible to receive
military grant aid.
The Secretary of State in addition to making the above
recommendation, agreed that the political situation in Argentina
was currently of such a nature that negotiations with that
country on this subject should be delayed until a more
appropriate time.
In view of the importance of proceeding to implement the
aforementioned plans and our desire to initiate
diplomatic-military negotiations with the proposed recipient
governments at the earliest practicable date, it is recommended
that you now make a finding to the effect that United States
defense plans establish a need for the participation in missions
important to the defense of the Western Hemisphere of the
proposed recipient countries indicated in Tab (A), with the
addition of Venezuela tentatively. It is further recommended
that you find that, because of the above, military assistance
may be furnished these countries in accordance with the
provisions of Section 401 of the Mutual Security Act of
1951.
The Department of State concurs in this recommendation, and I am
transmitting this letter through the Director for Mutual
Security2 so that he may indicate his
concurrence or comments. In the event that you make the finding
recommended, it is proposed immediately to approach the several
countries indicated (with the exception, for the reasons
hereinabove set forth, of Argentina and possibly Venezuela) with
a view to initiating negotiations.
With great respect, I am
Faithfully yours,
