724.3415/336a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Colombia (Caffery)14
1. The representatives of the Governments of Bolivia and Paraguay in attendance at the Conference of Conciliation and Arbitration of the American States signed this afternoon a protocol providing for the constitution of a commission of investigation and conciliation for the purpose of undertaking an inquiry by hearing both parties as to what has taken place in order to determine which of them brought about a change in the peaceful relations between them and also the responsibilities thereby incurred.
The Commission is to be composed of two delegates appointed by each of the Governments of Bolivia and Paraguay and of a Delegate designated by each of the Governments of the following states to wit: Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay and the United States.
The Commission is to be installed in Washington but its further procedure will be determined by the Commission itself. The work of the Commission is to be completed within six months unless the Commission finds that it needs a longer time. The Commission is empowered to determine the measures pending the inquiry which may be necessary on the part of each country to prevent a recurrence of hostilities. The protocol and the action of the Commission are not to affect the territorial question as contended by Bolivia or the question of boundary as contended by Paraguay and are not to modify or affect existing agreements.
Please go at once to the Foreign Minister and ascertain whether his Government will be willing to appoint a representative to serve on this [Page 833] Commission. It is desired that the protocol with the names of the Governments which are to act in constituting the Commission shall be approved at the earliest possible moment by the Conference in Plenary Session and it is earnestly hoped that the immediate establishment of this Commission will obviate any further difficulty between the two countries concerned. I am sending this telegram as Chairman of the Conference, and at the request of the Special Committee of the Conference through which the Conference has been exercising its good offices to bring the Parties into accord. You may express my deep interest in the purpose of the protocol and the desire that it may become effective by the appropriate action of the Governments named. Conference closes Saturday.
- A similar invitation was presumably extended to the Government of Mexico but neither the copy of the invitation nor the acceptance has been found in Department files.↩