ARMY AND NAVY MUNITIONS BOARD
                       MUNITIONS BUILDING
                        WASHINGTON, D.C.
 
Report No. 5.                           November 14, 1939.
 
 
 
MEMORANDUM For The Assistant Secretary of War:
 
SUBJECT: Foreign Inquiries for Production of Munitions.
 
 
           1. In accordance with instructions to submit from time 
to time brief reports on foreign inquiries for military equipment, 
the following notes are made:
 
               ARGENTINE REPUBLIC
 
              The Naval Attache of Argentine Republic (Captain Godoy) 
stated in a letter to Mr. James W. Young, Bureau of Foreign and 
Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce, that because of the 
war situation and diminution of sources of supply from Europe, he 
desired to obtain a list of approximately ten plants for each of 
a list of types of material furnished with the letter.
 
     The items in which he is interested include steel, 
copper, brass, oil, refractories, machinery, electrical equip-
ment, woodworking equipment, fabricated rubber, aluminum and zinc. 
The Department of Commerce furnished him a list of outstanding 
sources for these items.
 
                    BRAZIL
 
              The Brazilian Government has ordered 60 searchlights
from the Sperry Gyroscope Company.
 
     An inquiry has been received from Mr. Sidney Mashbir,
a former officer of the Army who is now agent for several manufac-
turers in this country. It seems that Mr. Mashbir has been ap-
proached by the Brazilian Government to procure forging and machin-
ing equipment for 75 mm and 105 mm shell, and machinery for the 
manufacture of gun tubes of the calibers noted above. He stated 
that the equipment desired was originally ordered from Rheinmetall 
in Germany and that the order has been cancelled by the Brazilians.