825.00/1729
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The Chilean Ambassador called this morning to see the Secretary of State at the latter’s request.
After preliminary courtesies, Secretary Hull asked the Ambassador what impressions he brought back with him from his recent visit to Santiago. The Ambassador replied that his impressions were entirely favorable and that he could assure this Government that more than 75 percent of the people of Chile were completely in sympathy with the United States and with the cause of the United Nations. He said that of course in Chile they had Nazi sympathizers, but he added that that situation existed in many other countries, including the United States. He said that the chief difficulty was the fact that people were generally afraid of a Nazi attack upon Chile in the event that Chile broke relations with the Axis powers or took some overt step against the Axis powers. Secretary Hull said that he fully recognized the friendly disposition of the Chilean Government and the Chilean people and that he had long been aware of the fine quality of so many leaders of public opinion in Chile.
The Ambassador stated that the President of Chile had charged him to say to this Government that Chile had absolutely no understanding of any character with the Argentine Government and that Chile was completely free to determine for herself, without the knowledge of Argentina, the foreign policy which she would pursue. He stated further that the President of Chile desired him to state that the Government of Chile would cooperate fully with the United States and would take such action as in the judgment of the United States was required in the vital interests of the United States and in the interest of hemispheric defense. The Ambassador added that of [Page 28] course there were various problems which Chile had to solve and which the President of Chile desired this Government to bear in mind in the event that Chile changed her present foreign policy and severed relations with the Axis powers.