Letter from Ambassador George Messersmith to President Harry S. Truman, with Attachments

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this letter Placesurs very important and for the President's personal reading THE FOREIGN SERVICE DECLASSIFIED OF THE mas E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Dept. of State letter, Aug. 9, 1973 Bz N.T. dc : NARS Date 4-16-75 AMERICAN EMBASSY PERSONAL AND SHOTUST Buenos Aires, Argentina August 16, 1946 Dear Mr. President: I am sorry to impose anything on you while you are on this trip on the yacht. I read with much pleasure and satisfaction that you have just left on this trip, and I hope that you will be able to stay out the two weeks which you are plannings I am under the necessity of bringing to your at- tention certain phases of this Argentine problem. You will recall that I only undertook this mission at your request and of Secretary Byrnes, and I think we fully understood each other as to what the major objectives of the mission are which I conceive to be that I was to bring about a composition of this problem with the Argen- tine in view of its importance to us and to the Argen- tine and in the whole American picture and in the world picture as well. I made it clear, you will recall, in the conversation which I was privileged to have with you and Secretary Byrnes, that I could not in carrying through this mission sacrifice any principle, and of course, there was no question of your and Secretary Byrnes' wishing me to do that. The important thing was to endeavor by change of tactics and procedure, and without any deviation from principle, to bring about the major objectives which are so important all around. I have applied myself fully to this mission, and perhaps to a greater degree than I should have if I kept in mind my health. I believe that we have made very real progress. The atmosphere has tremendously improved, and I think you know the handicaps I was working under, for in addition to an unhappy background of years in our THYMAN relations 3. ARCHIVES RECORDS SERVICE' AND to covered The President, The White House.