810.20 Defense/1483/12a: Circular telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chiefs of Diplomatic Missions in the American Republics Except Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Panama, and Paraguay
The results of the recent conversations undertaken by officers of the United States Army and Navy in various capitals of the American republics have been gratifyingly successful in all cases. As you will recall, it was proposed to follow these exploratory conversations with bipartite staff conversations between officers of the United States Army and Navy and local military and naval officials. Bolivia and Paraguay, which were not first approached in the preliminary conversations, will be included in the countries with which staff talks are to be undertaken.
It is considered advisable, however, to defer such staff talks until the adjournment of the forthcoming conference in Habana of Foreign Ministers to the American republics since it is believed that these talks will be even more productive when the results of the decisions taken at that conference are ascertained.
You are authorized accordingly to convey the substance of the foregoing to the appropriate officials of the government to which you are accredited and to state that it is the present intention of your Government, providing such a course is agreeable, to begin these bipartite staff conversations early in August. You may add that more detailed agenda of the proposed staff talks will, of course, be communicated in ample time to make preparations for these talks. In speaking with the appropriate officials under reference, you are further requested to [Page 20] convey an expression of the gratification of this Government that the preliminary conversations so fully conformed to the spirit of solidarity existing among the American republics and that the secrecy surrounding the conversations has been so well maintained. Naturally you will indicate in all your remarks on this matter that it is the earnest desire of this Government, which is doubtless shared by the government to which you are accredited, that the arrangements for and the proceedings of the staff conversations should be maintained in strictest confidence.