723.2515/363: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Stimson) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 2.02 p.m.]
My December 7th, 4 p.m. The Chilean Minister here showed me yesterday a copy of the reply of his Government to the United States acknowledging the latter’s offer of good offices in the Chile-Peru dispute. He showed me also confidentially his instructions as to the offer to mediate, conjointly with the United States, on the part of Argentine. It appears from these instructions that the Argentine Government instructed its Minister at Santiago to offer at once such mediation. The Chilean Government has now instructed the Minister here that this is a step farther than the United States Government either authorized or invited.
In my conversation with the President on December 7th, as the Department was informed in the cable above referred to, I merely handed him a paraphrase of my instructions as [contained in] the Department’s December 4th, 7 p.m. I had previously urged upon the Minister of Foreign Affairs the advisability of acting at the present time in accordance with the United States in the manner suggested in my instructions, but the term “mediation” was never employed in any of my interviews concerning this matter.