Paris Peace Conf. 182/68
The American Commissioners Plenipotentiary (Lansing, White, Bliss, House) to President Wilson
My Dear Mr. President: May we bring to your attention a matter, which has come to the notice of the Commission, concerning the feeling which has arisen among the Delegates of the Latin American countries against the action of the Council of Ten in not giving them more ample representation on the Financial and Economic Commissions?
When the above mentioned Commissions were formed it was decided by the Council that the lesser powers should have five delegates from their number on each of the Commissions. A meeting of these powers was held under the Presidency of Mr. Cambon, and resulted in a request for more representation on each Commission.31 One or two other meetings were subsequently held in which an attempt was made to make a list which would be satisfactory to both the lesser European Powers and to the Latin American nations. The attempt failed and a vote was taken in which the Latin American Delegates supported by China and Siam, had a majority and elected as representatives, a majority of Latin American Delegates, with only two or three Europeans. This list was not accepted by the Council of Ten and representatives of the lesser powers were chosen by it, giving six places on the Financial Commission and seven places on the Economic Commission to the European nations, but including Brazil on the latter Commission. This left Panama, a belligerent, and Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia without representation on any of the various Commissions, producing very hard feelings against the Great Powers.
A crisis has now come and various meetings have been held by the Latin American delegates in which some of them have gone so far as to say that they considered that an insult had been given to Latin America and that to protect themselves from the arbitrary acts of the Great Powers, they should withdraw from the Conference and possibly try to make a separate peace with Germany. There were also remarks made to the effect that if such an action as this on the part of the powerful nations was to be an indication of what the Great Powers would do in the League of Nations, it was best for them not to enter the League.
Unless the Council of Ten will make some further concessions to the Latin American countries, such as giving Panama and Peru representation on either the Financial or Economic Commissions, if it is not possible to give places to Ecuador and Bolivia also, coupled with [Page 532] an appropriate statement, setting forth that there was no intention to treat the Latin Americans in an arbitrary manner, the feeling of resentment will undoubtedly react most unfavorably on the cause of the Associated Governments, and may give an opportunity for German propaganda, which is only dormant in South and Central America, to work on their feelings and impair the work which is being done at the Conference.
The actual importance to the lesser Latin American nations of having representation on either Commission is probably very slight, but the pride of various governments seems to have been hurt for the reason that although they were invited to send delegates to the Conference, their delegates were not allowed a place on any of the Commissions.
As the United States is represented in the Council of Ten, it comes in for its share of the resentment against the Great Powers and our relations with Latin America may be seriously impaired if we do not do all in our power to better the situation.
We are [etc.]
- Robert Lansing
- H. White
- Tasker H. Bliss
- E. M. House
- See minutes of the meetings of the powers with special interests, vol. iii, pp. 447 ff.↩