President Roosevelt to the British Prime Minister (Churchill)87
387. To the Former Naval Person. You will recall agreement, made during your recent Portuguese negotiations, that any direct approach by U. S. Government to Portuguese Government would be suspended until those negotiations were concluded. Those negotiations were, as you know, concluded on 17 August with signing of Ingot agreement.
It was not practicable, however, to have included in that agreement adequate provision for U. S. Navy facilities in Azores, or any provision whatever for facilities for U. S. air transport and air ferrying operations.
We both fully realize the tremendous importance to combined war effort of establishing Central Atlantic air transport and ferry route via Azores, with resultant saving of millions of gallons of high octane gasoline and many thousands of pilot and engine hours per month.
We have received information from Lisbon that the Portuguese Government would not object to direct negotiations with the United States looking toward the use by U. S. airplanes of the islands, and I should like to suggest for your consideration that the U. S. State Department be directed by me to make a direct approach to the Government of Portugal with the purpose of obtaining agreement to permit us to provide aviation facilities in the Azores and to use such facilities for our combatant and transport airplanes in the furtherance of the Allied war effort.
I hope you will agree to this line of approach to our common problem and that if practicable your Representatives in Portugal may assist and join with ours in the discussions.
- Copy of telegram obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N. Y.↩