Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, The American Republics, Volume VI

740.0011 European War 1939/24837: Telegram

The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State

Santiago, October 14, 1942—3 p.m.
[Received 11:33 p.m.]

1710. In addition to the instance previously reported the following occurred in last 24 hours:

(1) The Mercurio this morning in its leading editorial praised the dignity and moderation of the President’s⁵⁰ address yesterday and hoped that a way out would be [apparent omission] and in another featured editorial stated that the Boston address⁵¹ required the Government to make an immediate and thorough investigation to establish the truth or falsity of the statement that Chilean soil was a base of subversive activities.

(2) The Socialist Party met yesterday and passed resolution calling for the dismissal of Barros Jarpa.

(3) Yesterday the Minister of the Interior arrested the editor of the Acción Chilena, an Axis subsidized sheet, for scurrilous attacks on the United States war effort and insolent reference to President Roosevelt on my protest against the infamous picture of Roosevelt but it is significant that another reason was given. This is the first time that a newspaper editor has been actually arrested although the Government has taken legal action against various newspapers mainly for attacks on Axis Ambassadors and Chiefs of State.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bowers

50. President Ríos.
51. Address by the Under Secretary of State (Welles) at the World Trade Dinner of the Twenty-ninth National Foreign Trade Convention. For text, see Department of State Bulletin, October 10, 1942, p. 808; for correspondence on this subject, see vol. v, pp. 210–236 passim.