720.5 MSP/2–1952: Circular airgram

The Acting Secretary of State to Diplomatic Offices in the American Republics 2

secret

Careful note has been taken in the Department of Embassy Lima’s informative and thoughtful secret despatch No. 801 of January 29, 19523 reporting the interest demonstrated by the Argentine and Chilean Ambassadors in Lima in finding out the nature and amount of prospective U.S. military grant aid to Peru, and also pointing out certain of the difficulties likely to be encountered in administering this program so as to avoid accentuation of intergovernmental distrust and jealousy resulting from concern lest one country be strengthened militarily to the disadvantage of its neighbors. In addition to the Embassy’s very appropriate comments to the Ambassador of Chile4 regarding the basic purposes of the program and the overriding importance of strengthening collective defense against the existing threat to the free world, and references to the manner in which European countries appear to have overcome fears that US aid would lead to imbalances of power disadvantageous to their own security, the following may be helpful as background for discussions of these questions with officials of other American governments: (In view of the general interest in these questions, this message is being repeated to all missions in the other American republics.)

It is important to impress upon those who express concern that US aid will strengthen neighbor against neighbor, that a fundamental assumption upon which the program has been developed is that the fortunate condition of peace which has been established in the hemisphere through the faithful observance of inter-American commitments to settle disputes by peaceful means makes it possible, as stated in Resolution [Page 117] IV of the Washington Meeting of Consultation,5 “for each of the Republics to concentrate the development of its capabilities upon the tasks best adapted to the role each is best qualified to assume in the collective defense against aggression.” The US military aid program is not directed at strengthening any American republic against another American republic, but toward the defense of the community of American republics against aggression. We believe, in the first place, that the danger of aggression among members of the inter-American community does not exist, but that if by any chance such danger or threat should develop it will be overcome by the effective application of the measures of collective defense established within the inter-American system. While it must be realistically recognized that long-held and time-worn antipathies continue to exist, and the era of distrust and recrimination between certain of the American republics has by no means ended, the fact of the matter is that, as Assistant Secretary Miller stated during the presentation of the Military Assistance Program to Congress, “One of the most conspicuous triumphs of Hemisphere cooperation has been and continues to be the extent to which the threat or use of force in the international relations of the American States has been eliminated.” Mr. Miller went on to say, “I believe that we have reached the point where no American state has reason to apprehend the danger of aggression from any other American state.”

With reference to questions regarding the nature and amount of assistance to any one government it should be noted that, under present plans, it is not anticipated that information regarding the dollar value of US military assistance to any one Latin American country will be made public, nor will this information be made available to the country receiving aid. Actual assistance will be given in the form of end items of equipment, and services and training aimed at making up deficiencies in units of the armed forces of the recipient which are to be prepared for the performance of missions important to hemisphere defense. The principal basis for comparison of assistance from country to country, therefore, will be with respect to the units of forces being so prepared; variations will be related to the size and importance of the missions the respective governments prepare forces to perform.

For your information only, the bilateral military plans being negotiated along with the Military Assistance Agreements provide that armed forces units which receive US assistance in the form of equipment, training or services will be designated as “Western Hemisphere defense task units” which will participate in missions important to the defense of the Western Hemisphere, Although no definite plans for publicity regarding [Page 118] such units have been made, consideration is being given to the question of whether there are suitable ways in which appropriate information regarding such units can be released, by mutual agreement, in a manner best caculated to insure that the constructive purposes of the program and the objective of strengthening collective defense will be emphasized. Comments of Embassies receiving this airgram on this matter will be appreciated.

Webb
  1. Drafted by Mr. Jamison on Feb. 14; cleared with the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, the Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Mutual Security Affairs, the Office of South American Affairs, and in substance with the Department of Defense.
  2. Not printed. (723.5 MSP/1–2952)
  3. Félix Nieto del Rio.
  4. For text of Resolution IV, adopted by the Fourth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, held in Washington, Mar. 26–Apr. 7, 1951, see Fourth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs: Proceedings (Washington, 1951), pp. 240–241.