Office of the Historian

740.00111 A.R./223: Telegram

The Ambassador in Argentina (Armour) to the Secretary of State

Buenos Aires, September 14, 1939—5 p.m.
[Received 8:20 p.m.]

168. Department’s telegram 151, September 12, 6 p.m. Embassy’s files contain in addition to despatch mentioned in the Department’s telegram only a telegram on the same subject from the Chargé d’Affaires19 dated November 18, 6 p.m., 1914 printed page 437 of Foreign Relations, 1914, Supplement, and despatch No. 380, December 11, 1914, page 452 same volume. Department has presumably noted resolution adopted by Pan American Union on December 8, 1914, page 444, Foreign Relations , apparently resulting from the action proposed by the Argentine Government.

Lorillard’s despatches indicate proposal was handled through Argentine Minister at Washington and it is possible that the Argentine Embassy might have additional information.

In this connection the Department may be interested in reference by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to proposal of the Argentine Minister for Foreign Affairs made through the Argentine Legation at Washington in 1916 for a conference of American Republics to discuss situation created by German submarine campaign (see Embassy’s despatch 113 of September 8,20 which should reach the Department today). The Minister for Foreign Affairs is examining the files here to give me further data on this proposal which was apparently distinct from the proposal referred to in the Department’s telegram No. 151. In the meantime I am endeavoring discreetly to obtain further information on 1914 proposal through the Foreign Office.21

Repeated to Panama.

Armour
  1. George Lorillard.↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. In despatch No. 136, September 19, the Ambassador in Argentina reported:

    “It now appears that Dr. Cantilo was mistaken in his recollection of what transpired in 1916. What he apparently had in mind were the 1914 proposals and the action resulting therefrom which continued on up to 1916. In other words, the Argentine Government does not appear to have made any new proposals in 1916 to meet the situation resulting from the German unrestricted submarine warfare, as Dr. Cantilo had thought” (740.00111 A.R./360)

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