CHILE



825.248/223 : Telegram
    The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State

                                SANTIAGO, January 22, 1942-9 p. m.
                                [Received January 23-7: 27 a. m.]
  136. I must respectfully submit that the material listed in the
Department's No. 80, January 21, 10 p. m. is not responsive to my
telegrams referred to therein. The Chilean Air Force and Army
would be delighted to get this training and other equipment, of course,
but it in no way meets the immediate danger of a Japanese hit-and-
run air attack. If you could give assurances of the immediate (re-
peat immediate) delivery of the material specified in my No. 120
of January 21, 2 a. m. I believe it would decisively clinch full Chilean
cooperation. The view here is Japan will not wait until Chile actually
breaks off relations. One airplane could now wipe out the Potrerillos
Power Plant, utterly unprotected by combat planes or anti-aircraft
guns, thus stopping production for months of an important source
of our supply of copper.
  Our Air Corps Command has apparently not been able to grasp
the military and political significance of South America and par-
ticularly the utter vulnerability of Chile. If something should hap-
pen now to Chile in her present defenseless situation it is going to
throw our whole policy out of gear and our relations will be adversely
affected for a very long time to come since it will be said that we urged
Chile to take a step which it felt was unwise. My impression is that
the allocation authority of the Air Corps Command apparently still
thinks we are back in 1940 when they were shipping everything to
England. I think it will be found that there are bomber and pursuit
units in the interior of the United States for which no combat use is
anticipated in the near future.
  I believe the matter should be taken up directly with General
Arnold 15 in all its seriousness, its political ramifications, and special
[apparent omission.]
                                                           BOWERS

825.248/223
         The Secretary of State to President Roosevelt'0

                                  WASHINGTON, January 24, 1942.
  MY DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: You will recall several recent telegrams
from Ambassador Bowers urging that certain military and naval
matkriel im mediately be made available to Chile in order to put it in
a position to repel the aggression from Japan it appears so much to
' Gen. Henry H. Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Forces.
'Returned by President Roosevelt with the notation: "OK",