Letter from John R. Neale to W. C. Brister

Bristen Hive INSTITUTE OF INTER-AMERICAN AFFAIRS Camp DIVISION OF FOOD SUPPLY NATALIO SANCHEZ 215 AND NUTRITION LIMA-PERU, S. A. July 10, 1946. PERSONAL LETTER FOR ADDRESSEE ONLY. Mr. W. C. Brister, Director Food Supply Division Institute of Inter-American Affairs Washington, D. C. Dear Bill: Last night I sent you a cable suggesting that Mr. Rhodes and his family not come to Peru at this time inasmuch as the Ambassador Cooper had not yet made up his mind that there should be an extension of the agreement under which the Food Mission operates. This morning I sent you through the Embassy, by diplomatic pouch, a letter saying the same thing and indicating that the Ambassador was not favorable to any extension of the agreement until he had had opportunity to fully study the matter. Actually, that cable and the letter were the only reasonably polite statements I could make about the business. Day before yesterday I called at the Embassy and talked to Mr. Bernard C. Connelly, who is now First Secretary. I explained to Mr. Connelly that I had prepared, as per your request and after discussions with the Minister of Agriculture Rose, drafts of an extension agreement and that I had the desire to go over these proposed extensions with the Ambassador or with whomever the Embassy might indicate before I sent them to you. He asked me to come to the Ambassador's Office at 10 'clock yesterday morning. I was there a few minutes early and went into the Ambassa- dor's Office at 10 o'clock. He had called in Mr. Connelly, Mr. Haggerty, Agricultural Attaché, and Mr. Leslie W. Johnson, who is now Second Secretary -a new- comer in the Embassy here. The Ambassador turned to me and immediately demanded: "What do you want?" I was surprised and irritated at the unexpected bruskness as well as the wording of the demand. However, I set out to explain that the reason for my coming was to discuss with him the proposals for extending the food agreement under which the Servicio Cooperativo Inter-Americano de Producción de Alimentos functioned in Perú. That was as far as I got. He immediately and loudly proclaimed that he was opposed to any such extension, and demanded under what authority I had presumed to prepare agreements. I advised him that it was in compliance with correspondence from yourself and did suc-