Office of the Historian

740.00111 A.R./1049: Telegram

The Minister in Uruguay (Wilson) to the Secretary of State

Montevideo, May 11, 1940—8 p.m.
[Received 9:30 p.m.]

64. For the Secretary and the Under Secretary. Guani53 sent for me tonight and said that, after talking with the President, he was preparing a message to the President of Panama54 invoking, in view of the invasion of Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg, paragraphs 4 and 5 of the declaration adopted at the Panama meeting entitled “Maintenance of International Activities in Accordance with Christian Morality”.55 He asked me to inquire of you whether such action would prejudice any steps which you have in mind.

He explained that public opinion was so incensed over the German invasion that strong pressure would be brought on the Government to declare that it was no longer neutral (see my telegram No. 63 of today56). He feels that the American states should act together not singly, and believes that if he starts the machinery of consultation by invoking the declaration referred to above, he will be able to keep people in line for the time being.

He requested a reply by tomorrow.

Wilson
  1. Alberto Guani, Uruguayan Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩
  2. Augusto Boyd.↩

  3. See Report of the Delegate of the United States of America to the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the American Republics held at Panama September 23–October 8, 1989, p. 60. The paragraphs mentioned read as follows:

    • “4. That they consider the violation of the neutrality or the invasion of weaker nations as an unjustifiable measure in the conduct and success of war; and
    • “5. That they undertake to protest against any warlike act which does not conform to international law and the dictates of justice.”

    ↩
  4. Not printed; it reported press comment (740.0011 European War 1939/2866).↩