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UNITED STATES POLICY REGARDING HEMISPHERE DE-
   FENSE, 1949-1950; PROVISION          OF ARMAMENTS AND
   MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO THE AMERICAN REPUB-
   LICS, AND THEIR        PARTICIPATION       IN  THE   KOREAN
   CONFLICT:

 810.24/6-1049
    The Secretary of Defense (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

TOP SECRET                             WASH-INGTON, June 10, 1949.
   DEAR MR. SECRETARY: Reference is made to Department of State
 memoranda concerning the provision of military equipment to the
 G(overnments of Haiti and Nicaragua, dated 28 April 1949 and about
 4 May 1949, respectively.2 The Department of the Army is not able,
 at the present time, to provide this assistance.
   In a memorandum dated 28 June 19481,3 the Department of the Army
informed the Department of State that it was no longer in a position
to fulfill requests of Latin American countries for United States mili-
tary equipment. Since that time a number of such requests have been
received and the Department of the Army has explored every possible
means of continuing military assistance to the other American Re-
publics. Although some statutory authority exists for the transfer of
U.S. military equipment to certain foreign nations, the statutes aie
either so limited in application or circumscribed with restrictions as
to render them useless in fulfilling normal requests for military assist-
ance under existing conditions. Transfer of equipment excess to the
needs of the Army to Latin Aimerica under such statutes as are now
available, would deplete existing stocks of material to be used in sat-
isfaction of higher priority requirements of the pending Military
Assistance Program.4 It is considered that the Department of the Army
has provided military assistance to the other American Republics to
the limit of its available means under present conditions.

  iFor previous documentation, see Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. ix, pp.
207 ff.
For documentation on the overall United States military assistance program
and
on United States policy regarding the acquisition of foreign, military base
rights,
see pp. 126 ff.
  .Neither printed.
  Not printed.
  &quot;The Military Assistance Program was provideft Ior in tne Mutual Defense
Assistance Act of 1949, approved October 6, 1949 (63 Stat. 714).
                                                         599

 
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