USSR TRADE MISSION ACTIVITIES IN ARGENTINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A002000570001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 27, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 7, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2002/07/15 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA002000570001-6
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SECURITY INFORMATION
COUNTRY Argentina/USSR
SUBJECT
25X1 C
USSR Trade Mission Activities in
Argentina
This Document contains information affectin.- the Na-
tional Defense of the United states, within themean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.E. Code. as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its, contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person Is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
REPORT NO.
25X1A
DATE DISTR. 7 August 1953
NO. OF PAGES 2
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
25X1X
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. On or about 22 June the members of the Soviet Trade 'Commission in Argentina
met with Augusto UUADROS Sanchez, Bolivian Minister of Economy; Guillermo
ENCISO Velloso, Paraguayan Minister of Finance; and Epifanio MENDEZ Fleitas,
president of the Bank of Paraguay, to discuss the possibility of selling certain
undisclosed products to the Soviet Union. Also present at the meeting were
Edgar GRUNBACH, exchange manager in the Argentine Central Bank, and Casimiro
OURDANABIA, Director of Administration in the Argentine Ministry of Foreign
Commerce.
2. At this meeting it was decided that the export of Chilean products would be
handled through the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Commerce. The Argentine
Merchant Maxine, using loading ports in Chile and Argentina, will transport
these products.
Jeronimo REMORINOl, Argentine Minister of Foreign Relations, recently stated
that the Argentine-Soviet trade negotiations which took place recently in
Buenos Aires were almost broken off by the Russians just before the draft agree-
ment was ready for signature. The Soviet delegation had decided not to sign the
treaty and had even made plans to leave Argentina on 1. July 1953. At this point
REMORINO himself had to intervene to save the negotiations.
4.` The point of disagreement was that the Soviets did not want to deliver in
Russian tankers the oil that they were agreeing to sell Argentina. They wanted
the Argentines to furnish their own ships. The Russians claimed that they
could not use their own tankers because they had only a very few, the bulk of
their own oil transport now being handled by rail.
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REMIRINO stated that to save the negotiations Argentina had to agree to the Soviet
request. As a result Argentina will send its own tankers to Russia. The ex--Whaling
ship JUAN PERON, which has recently been refitted for this type of work, will be
used in addition to other tankers which Argentina will try to buy abroad. Its
present tanker fleet is not considered adequate to handle thb amount of oil trans-
port between the Soviet Union and Argentina that is envisaged.
b. If, for any reason, REIRINO added, the Soviet Union is not able to maintain fill its
quotas on oil shipments it will make up the difference with iron. The Soviet dele-
gates have offered to sell Argentina steel rails for railways at a price 40 per cent
lower than that offered by the Germans.
Approved For Release 2002/07/15 : %P80-0081 OA002000570001-6