WESTERN HEMISPHERE DEFENSE


exception of a rapidly diminishing amount of materiel defined as
"excess", must be paid for in cash at full cost, and -the "excess"
items
must be paid for at a rate of approximately 10% of cost plus certain
other expenses. These requirements, which dollar-short Latin Ameri-
can governments find it difficult to meet, together with the priorities
given to supplies for other areas, have made it difficult for these gov-
ernments in some cases to fill their immediate needs.
  Recent United Nations action in Korea, and that section of the
recently approved U.N. General Assembly resolution on "Uniting for
Peace",1 which recommends that governments maintain units of their
armed forces for possible use in U.N. action against aggression, have,
focussed attention on the desirability that all friendly U.N. members,
of which there are 20 Latin American countries, should be in a position:
not only to maintain internal order and contribute to local self-defense,
but also to contribute to U.N. action against aggression in any part of
the world. While the individual prospective contributions of the re-
spective Latin American governments may not be large, the psycholog-
ical advantage of participation by many countries and the potential
practical value of the collective Latin American effort are significant.
They would become increasingly significant should the struggle,
against aggression move closer to the Western Hemisphere.
   The experience in Korea to date has amply demonstrated (1) that
several, at least, of the Latin American governments sincerely desire
to:participate in U.N. military action against aggression, .(2) that.
most, if not all, 1of these governments are unable to meet the require-
ments of participation in such 'action without positive military as-
Sistance. This latter situation was recognized by the. Department of
Defense in the letter of September 12, 1950 replying to certain pro-
posal[s] by the Department of State regarding Latin American'par-
ticipation in the Korean operation...
  In ,these circumstances, it is believed that immediate steps should be
taken to obtain the legislative authorization necessary to permit this;
government to furnish other American governments at their request
with mili-tary training, equipment: and-supplies, on a grant basis, for
those units of their armed forces which they maintain for action
against aggression iný conformity with the. pertinent section of the.
General Assembly resolution On "Uniting for Peace". As a means
of
assuring that there will be a degree of coordination respecting unitsi
which the various countries decide to maintain for this purpose, the.
U.S. Delegation to the Inter-American Defense Board should, be re--
quested. to study and: determine whether that body should develop
  1For Resolution 377(V) of the General Assembly, November 3,,1950, see.
United Nations, Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifth Session,
Supple-
ment No. 20 (A/1775), pp. 10-42.


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