Evening star., 1942-01-25
Text of WeIIes Address
Pon-Americon Agreement
Called Severe Blow to Axis
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. "a
The tert of Undersecretary of
State Sumner Welles' address
from the conference of American
foreign ministers today follo1Ds::
At a time of the greatest crisis
that has ever confronted the Amer
ican republics, the American foreign
ministers have been meeting here
in this great capital of Brazil during
the past 10 days. AS you all know,
the purpose of the meeting has been
to determine what steps should be
taken to the common defense and
to the safeguarding of the best in
terests of the peoples of the 81
nations.
The closing session of our meeting
will take place on Monday next.
can now say, however, without q
shadow of doubt that every one
of my associates will agree with me
when state that we have already
met with the utmost success in at
tanning the objectives which we
sought.
AS our great chairman, Oswaldo
Aranha, the Foreign Minister of
Brazil, has said, this Is meeting
of deeds and not of words. Yester-
day the governments of the q
American republics officially and
unanimously proclaimed that they
jointly recommended the severance
of diplomatic relations between all
of the American republics and the
governments of Japan, Germany
and Italy, because of the aggression
committed by a member of the
tripartite pact against one of the
American family of nations, namely,
the United States.
First Time in History.
This means that the diplomatic
and consular agents of the Axis
powers within the American repub-
lies will no longer be able to use
territory within the Western Hem
isphere as their bases of activities
against us and our American allies.
For the first time in the history
OF our hemisphere joint action of
the highest political character has
been taken by all of the American
nations, acting together without
dissent and without reservation. 1t
Is true that we have not all seen
eye to eye as to the exact details
OF the agreement which has been
reached, but the objectives which
all OF us had in mind have been
completely attained and what is
everlastingly important, the COM
plete unity and solidarity of the
Il American republics has been pre-
served.
The economic resolutions of the
meeting have reached a degree of
Importance and immediacy not at
tanned by those of earlier con-
ferences.
Most significant, of course. is the
resolution calling for the immediate
breaking off of all commercial and
financial intercourse, direct or in
direct, with the Axis nations and
With the suspension of any other
commercial or financial activities
pre1udicial to the welfare and Sc
cur1ty of the American republics.
Halts Subversive Activities,
In accordance with this resolu-
ton, not only will all direct eco
nomic relations with the Axis be
terminated but Axis nationals and
other persons inimical to the Amer
1cas will not be permitted through
control Of corporations and other
enterprises or by means of the profits
arising out of business activities
within or without the American re-
publics to enter into any activities
subversive to the welfare and de-
tense OF the continent.
The resolution also provides for
the control, supervision, reorganiza-
ton, or seizure of such enterprises
in order that they may be operated
under Government auspices or
otherwise in the interest of the
economy Of the particular American
republic involved. Measures are
also to be taken to alleviate any
Injuries to the economies of the
American republics which may arise
out of the application of these meas
ures for restriction and control.
The meeting has also adopted
other measures of great significance
to our own war and defense effort.
Among these is strong resolution
calling for the most complete Coop
Grafton Of all the nations of the
hemisphere in increasing by all pos
sible means the production of the
strategic materials essential to the
conduct of the war for the defense
Of our countries and recommending
mechanisms and measures for at
tanning this objective:
Transport Plan Formed.
Recognizing that the production
Of materials is of little avail unless
adeuuatA TRANSFORMATION IL provided.