724.3415/4113: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Weddell) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:35 p.m.]
157. Department’s 108, September 11, 7 p.m.35 and concluding paragraph Department’s 107, September 10, 7 p.m. I met the Brazilian Ambassador, the Paraguayan Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs at the Foreign Office yesterday afternoon. The Paraguayan Minister stated “in the name of his Government” that since Bolivia had suggested modifications to the original Argentine peace formula which formula his government had accepted without reservations Paraguay asks permission if Bolivia persists in this attitude to withdraw its unqualified acceptance and to submit observations and suggestions of its own. This was the first intimation I had received of Paraguay’s attitude vis-à-vis the Bolivian suggestions.
After the departure of the Paraguayan Minister the Minister for Foreign Affairs discussed at length with my Brazilian colleague and me the language of a message which he said he was about to send to the League authorities concerning the status of the negotiations with Bolivia and Paraguay. He repeated his previous declarations that [Page 200] this message should be a bald statement of fact (see my telegram 154, September 9, 10 a.m.) in order to guard his impartial position between the two belligerents and that nothing should be communicated which would damage either country before the League although he said Argentina’s position before that body is “very delicate”. He said that this would leave to the League to determine whether “the good offices” of the mediating countries should now come to an end and in that case the League to accept the responsibility for success or failure in further negotiations.
Following this I made known the contents of the Department’s 108 September 11, 7 p.m. to the Minister for Foreign Affairs who said the information appearing in the first paragraph of the Consul’s telegram was substantially correct but that there appeared to be a “misunderstanding” as to Cantilo’s other statements and that he proposed sending a message to Geneva which would clear up the matter.
- Not printed.↩