The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-02-24


the malaria-ridden tropics.
On top of tn. fatal error of
Jesse Jones and his aide, Will
Clayton, in not buying quinine
from the Dutch East Indies when
it was available during the tlrst
two months after Pearl Harbor, o.
S. officials seem frustrated in their
efforts to stop precious quln1ne
from leaking through our fingers,
some of it perhaps to the Axis.
These leakages apply to quiline
developed in Latin America, where
we are supposed to control every
single gram. Despite this, hun
dreds OF pounds are slipping out
from under the noses of Leo
CroWley's Federal Economic Ad
ministration officials.
Here is part of the record:
On May 10, 1913, Banco Lisboa
and Azores of Lisbon sent to the
Guaranty Trust of New York a let
ter of credit for Jose Strum OF La
Paz, Bolovia for $7,750 covering 100
kilos of quinine sulphate at $50 a
kilo. Base price set for U. 5.
buyers is $2S.4O a kidO.)
On May n, B. Bordoni of Bue-
nos Aires wrote to Chemia, Ltd, OF
Lisbon that Jose Strum had an or
der for 500 kilos of quinine to be
shipped in monthly lots. BY this
time, the price had gone up to
$50. Chemia, Ltd, replied accept
ing the offer. 500 kilos is about
LOO pounds of quinine, enough
to last U. S. troops in the South
west Pacific perhaps year.
On Oct. 20, the Nicaraguan Lee
cation in Mexico shipped to Mic
aragua by Pan American Always
81 packages of quinine, weighing
80 kilos and valued at $4,997. The
shipment carried the directive
that President Somoza be notified
personally when the quinine ar
rived.
On Oct. IS. the Bank of Portugal
in Lisbon instructed the Bank OF
Manhattan in New York to open
an irrevocable credit in favor of j.
Strum in Lisbon of $4,000 for 264
kilos of Bolivian quinine. The
shipments would be made Through
an Argentine port.
On Nov. IL, 80 kilos of quinine
hydrochloride and ten kilos of
quinine sulphate were shipped
from Peru to the Dominican Re
public by Pan Americ naAirways.
LEAKAGE CONTINUES
Strangely enough, substantial
quantities of quinine are being pur-
chased by various agents in the
Dominican Republic Why such
small country should need so much
quinine remains mystery.
AS recently as two weeks ago,
Leo Crowley's FEA cabled Quito,
Ecuador, authorizing purchase of
certain quinine produced in that
country. But before the purchase
was accomplished, the same lot
of quinine had been shipped from
Ecuador to Venezuela. In Vene
zuela, the U. S. ambassador got
wind of it and there was hot ex-
change of cables, the United States
pointing out that Ecuador had
agreed to ship only to the U. S.
A. In this case, the disputed quin-
inc finally is being shipped
from Venezuela on to this coun-
try.
FEA contends that these leaks
have been plugged since exclusive
contracts were signed with Peru
and Ecuador. However, the con-
tracts were signed months ago,
and the quinine is still leaking.
Only quinine country where
the leaks are legitimate is Boz
livia, where no exclusive contract
exists. Bolivia has offered to
sign one, but the State Depart
ment has refused because it re-
fuses to recognize the new Be-
ivian Government.
The u. S. Embassy in Mexico
has notified Washington that
quinine shipments are being made
from Mexico to other countries
labeled "bicarbOnate Of soda. Ac-
tually the packages contain layers