723.2515/355: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Stimson) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 8.45 p.m.]
My telegram of December 5, 6 p.m. The Minister for Foreign Affairs called me to see him yesterday afternoon to say that the President was very favorably impressed with the action of the United States but desired to see me personally regarding the matter. I saw him accordingly today in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs who stayed at my request throughout the interview. The President said that he wished me to inform my Government that he was prepared to follow the lead of the United States in this matter as in all others tending to the permanent peace and welfare of the Americas and asked that this response be transmitted if possible to President Wilson himself by wireless. He stated further that he will have sent this afternoon to the Argentine Ministers at Santiago and Lima a message destined for the Presidents of Chile and Peru respectively similar [to] or substantially identical with that of the United States quoted in the Department’s December 4, 7 p.m.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs then remarked that as the Argentine Government had acceded to the suggestion of the United States there could be no objection to making the matter public for its effect on the public opinion of South America and in publishing the fact that the action of Argentine was taken at the suggestion of the United States. I demurred somewhat at this, urging that the effect upon Chile at least might be greater if the action seemed to originate with the Argentine Government, but both the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs replied that they believed on the [Page 131] contrary that the fact that they referred to the United States note would be an even stronger indication that the Argentine Government was in close accord with the United States in this matter and that they had little doubt that the outcome would be favorable.
I urged upon the Minister of Foreign Affairs in particular that in phrasing the paragraph in their note offering the good offices of the Argentine Republic, the Argentine Government should copy exactly that phrase as used in the note addressed by the United States to Chile and Peru namely “Alone or in conjunction with other Governments of this hemisphere” and it was understood that this should be done the idea being, I understood, to send a note practically identical mutatis mutandis with that of the United States.
The manner of the President was most cordial; he seemed to be overjoyed at taking action in conjunction with the United States in what he termed “such an epochal moment in history for the Western Hemisphere.”