Oswaldo Aranha

Oswaldo Aranha entered national politics through law and the regional struggles of Rio Grande do Sul. A leading organizer of the 1930 movement that brought Getúlio Vargas to power, he subsequently held the justice and finance portfolios. His financial experience accompanied him to the Washington embassy, which he assumed in September 1934. ¹

Trade and foreign exchange dominated his American posting. He negotiated the commercial agreement signed with Secretary of State Cordell Hull on 2 February 1935, amid disputes over Brazilian tariffs, unpaid commercial debts, and compensation trade with Germany. Hull’s accompanying note welcomed Brazil’s assurances about making foreign exchange available for American imports, while expressly preserving bondholders’ claims. The agreement faced resistance from Brazilian industrial interests before ratification. ^{1, 2}

As foreign minister from 1938 to 1944, Aranha worked for closer cooperation with the United States during the Second World War. His influence helped turn hemispheric defense negotiations into Brazil’s alliance with the Allies. His relationship with Vargas nevertheless remained contentious, and he left the ministry after the authorities prevented a public tribute organized by the Society of Friends of America. ¹

In 1947 Aranha represented Brazil at the United Nations and presided over both the General Assembly’s first special session and its second regular session. On 29 November he chaired the meeting that approved the plan to partition Palestine, by 33 votes to 13 with 10 abstentions. He handled competing procedural proposals and put the committee’s report to a vote. ^{3, 4}

He returned as finance minister in 1953, introducing foreign exchange reforms during Vargas’s final government. Aranha died in Rio de Janeiro in January 1960. His political and diplomatic papers are preserved at FGV’s CPDOC. ¹