033.1110 Wallace, Henry A./183: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:40 p.m.]
616. For the Under Secretary. Received telegram yesterday morning from Armour22 announcing that Carlos Lucantis had just left Buenos Aires by plane for Chile claiming to be the bearer of a message to Wallace from Castillo,23 and adding that “the Embassy knows Lucantis but not very favorably”. This man intercepted me at the Military Club where I was waiting for Wallace and told me that this message was that Wallace should go at once to Buenos Aires; that if he agreed an official invitation would be sent; that something must be done to clear up the “misunderstanding” between Argentina and the United States; and he spoke mysteriously of Argentina’s very close relations with England. He gave no remote indication that rupture was contemplated. I warned Wallace who entirely agreed with me that for him to go to Buenos Aires under existing circumstances would be used there as proof that failure to break with the Axis had not changed the very cordial relations between the two countries, and would not be understood by all the other American [Page 66] nations. Wallace said he would tell this man that he had a warm feeling for the Argentine people, but that his plans for his trip cannot be changed and that he must get back to Washington at a certain time. The impertinence of the message is that it proposed he should cut or postpone trips to Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia. My own impression of this man was very bad. He reminded me of a salesman of sky blue stock. Later Wallace told me he had followed his plan.
Repeated to Buenos Aires.