724.3415/4066: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Weddell) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:57 p.m.]
149. Department’s 101, August 29, 3 p.m. I this afternoon communicated the essential contents of Department’s message to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
He stated that he had just discussed at length the Chaco matter with President Justo who said that there were questions of national dignity now becoming involved and that it behooved his Government to act with extreme circumspection. The Minister for Foreign Affairs continued that he could not take up alone with Paraguay the matter of obtaining its formal ratification of his interpretation of clause 7 of his formula. It would seem that he had already discussed this with the Paraguayan Minister since the latter had informed him that his [Page 189] formal acceptance of the interpretation in the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the two Ambassadors should be an evidence of his Government’s good faith, the Paraguayan Minister further remarking that although Paraguay had made a written statement of its position nothing whatever had been received from Bolivia.…
The Minister for Foreign Affairs continued that advices just received from Rio de Janeiro indicated that the Brazilian Government was getting tired of the whole subject in the face of the fruitlessness of efforts thus far made. He declared that the Bolivian attitude and policy seemed to be to delay any effective action and that “Bolivia must first give some sort of answer before Paraguay is pushed further” adding that thus far every suggestion made by Bolivia has been met without arriving anywhere.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs indicated that if in the negotiations the Bolivian Government sought to place the Argentine Government in a secondary position it would immediately withdraw from the affair; he said further that if nothing should be accomplished he considered making public a statement setting forth the course and conduct of the negotiations.