File No. 635.119/331
The Ambassador in Argentina ( F. J. Stimson) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 10, 9.25 a.m.]
I am informed by Naón1 that a note has been prepared by the Minister of Marine, who is a warm friend of the United States, which is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and makes serious complaint of the treatment of the Argentine transport Chaco, which is a national vessel, at the ports of Boston and Philadelphia, at which [it] primarily called on its last voyage to the United States. The captain of the Chaco has further complained to the Minister of Marine that he was compelled by the port authorities to sign a document giving various assurances as to the navigation of his ship, which may not under international law be required of a national vessel.
A translation of the above-mentioned note of the Minister of Marine, dated April 6, is as follows:
Mr. Minister: Lieut. Dalmiro Saenz, commander of the national transport Chaco, who has just arrived from the United States, found himself obliged, in order to undertake his return voyage, to sign a document required by [binding] our Government, to observe the new regulations which because of the war have recently been sanctioned in that country.
These regulations, perfectly logical when applied to merchant vessels, cannot be accepted to [in] the particular cases of our transports, which, while carrying on operations of a commercial nature, retain their character as transports of war by reason of the flag under which they sail, their crew, and finally by the character of their owner and outfitter, which is our Government.
The note of the official referred to, a copy of which I transmit to Your Excellency, contains all the necessary information to enable our Government to initiate diplomatic proceedings with the United States of America, in order to avoid the inconveniences indicated in the above-mentioned communication.
I rely on the success of these proceedings, as under the present circumstances we cannot expect an unfriendly action [attitude] on the part of the American Government, were it only in view of the marked deference with which ours has considered the interests of that country and those of her allies in this war. I avail, etc.
The letter of complaint made to the Minister of Marine by Lieut. Dalmiro Saenz, commander of the Chaco, dated Santiago, April 4, states that the difficulties of employing national transport ships of the Navy for commercial purposes has always been open to serious objections, and will become impossible if they are to be treated in the manner complained of, as they carry the war flag of Argentina and are manned by officers and men of the Navy. He states that the United States Government has among others dictated regulations which, in the first place, refuse coal or provisions to any neutral vessel whose master or captain has not accepted a document wherein he promises to fulfill all the orders expressed therein. Second, no ship shall begin any voyage without the previous consent of the War Trade Board, nor be sold or bought without their previous approbation. Fifth, they shall monthly send a statement of their intended movements. Sixth, the master, etc., shall remove from the ship any officer or member of the crew if so required by the War Trade Board. Eighth, no such ships shall be delivered any person other than approved by the War Trade Board. Thirteenth, any ship which shall leave the United States shall be subject to search by the War Trade Board. Seventeenth, it shall give the United States Consul at ports where it discharges cargo, an abstract of said cargo.
Captain Saenz then goes on to state that he sent to the Government a note asking to be exempted from the second, third, fourth, and sixth articles, but that he had to sign a document compelling him to conform with others, notably the tenth, thirteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth. He then complains of the treatment accorded the vessel at Porto Rico, Boston, and Philadelphia, the searches that were made, and many matters in detail. The Department is doubtless familiar with the document which he was compelled to sign, but a full translation of his letter can be cabled if required. His petition is that the Argentine transports like the Chaco, because of their status as national vessels, be released from compliance with the clauses of the regulations to which he objects, and that the proceedings of the port authorities of the United States be modified by the Government. The matter will I believe, result in an international grievance if the note is delivered, particularly because of the exceptionally friendly treatment which the Argentine Government has accorded war vessels of the United States Navy since the declaration of war by the United States, notably the United States transport Glacier, a few weeks ago. Naon suggests that, with the knowledge of the Minister of Marine, in order to avoid any official record of the incident it may be possible that the Department will recognize the justice of the complaint of the captain of the Chaco and agree that the objectionable document [Page 831] signed by him shall be considered canceled, the request for such signature having been made under a misapprehension. If such action can be thus taken by the Department informally, the note of the Minister of Marine will not be delivered and the incident will be considered closed without any record of offense being felt by the Argentine Government.
I regard this matter of instant and pressing necessity, since unless the Department feels itself in a position to take the above-mentioned action a formal recognition by the Argentine Government will follow. …
I understand that the whole matter will be suspended until a reasonable time is given for the reception of a reply from the Department.
- Rómulo S. Naón, Argentine Ambassador at Washington; on leave of absence in Argentina.↩