FOREIGN RELATIONS) 1950, .VOLUME I


Panama Canal Zone and Approaches, which control, the vital east-
west line of communications; Mexico, whichh is necessary for the
protection of the continental United States and as a base for the pro-
tection of major north-south lines of communication; the Venezuelan
oil area including Curagao-Aruba and Trinidad, which constitutes
one of the world's great oil reserves and which would have corre-
spondingly increased importance in the event Middle East oil should
be unavailable; Northeast Brazil, which controls the "Straits of
Natal-Dakar" from the west and therefore the major north-south
lines of communication in the Atlantic Ocean; River Plate Estuary
and Approaches, through which supplies of basic foodstuffs are
shipped to many Western Hemisphere nations and Great Britain;
Mollendo, Peru-Antofagasta, Chile, which contains the rail and
harbor outlets for shipments of Bolivian strategic materials; and
Straits of Magellan, which is an alternate worldwide east-west line
of communications in the event of loss or damage of the Panama
Canal.
   16. The foregoing envisages that armed forces should be main-
 tained by the other American republics generally for the following
 principal purposes:
   a. To minimize diversion of the armed forces of the United States
 in maintaining the security of the Western Hemisphere.
   b. To maintain internal order and security.
   c. To provide local defenses against isolated attacks or raids.
   d. To protect coastwise shipping.
   e. To augment the armed forces of the United States in protecting
 overseas commerce.
   f. To provide facilities for the use of such United States or other
 American forces as may be required for protection against external
 aggression.
   g. In some cases to provide forces for augmenting United States
 forces outside this Hemisphere.
   17. On the basis of the foregoing, U.S. objectives may be stated
 with specific reference to (1) the role of each Latin American armed
 force in collective hemisphere defense and (2) the ,character of the
 training, equipment and doctrine of the armed force to be maintained
 by each Latin American country:
   a. With respect to roles in hemisphere defense, it is envisaged that
 each Latin American armed force should be capable of maintaining
 security within its own territory, including prevention of revolu-
 tionary disturbances, prevention of clandestine enemy operations,
 defense against isolated attacks or raids, protection of the sources and
 installations of strategic materials, assistance as appropriate in the
 protection of vital lines of communications, and local security of bases
 and military facilities. Beyond these roles applicable to each Latin
 American armed force, certain countries should be capable of per-
 forming addi+tional tasks as appropriate.


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