824.6363 St 2/519: Telegram
The Minister in Bolivia ( Jenkins ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:02 p.m.]
28. Referring to my telegram No. 26 of March 14, 2 p.m.9 I called at the Foreign Office this morning at the request Dr. Ostria Gutiérrez who referred to discussions in Bolivian Senate of Standard Oil matter and especially to publication of Secretary Hull’s personal letter to Minister Finot and other confidential documents.
[Page 466]Dr. Ostria Gutiérrez said he consulted Minister Guachalla as to the advisability of publishing this correspondence and that Guachalla had first replied affirmatively but later telegraphed not to do so because Department would not approve. Dr. Ostria Gutiérrez said unfortunately publication has already taken place. He greatly regretted this and asked me so to telegraph Department. He did not explain however why he failed first to instruct Guachalla to ask the Department’s consent before publication.
The Minister added that the Cabinet had decided to lay the entire Standard Oil matter before the Senate and Bolivian public in the hope that a settlement might thus be facilitated. He said he expected Senate to request Government to begin negotiations with company.
I told the Minister I would of course telegraph the substance of his remarks and at the same time I expressed the hope that publication of the confidential documents would not cause Secretary Hull undue embarrassment.
- Not printed.↩