724.3415/659a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in Bolivia (Hibbard)44
30. The following statement was given to the Press today by General McCoy. Please communicate it to the Government of the country to which [you] are accredited:
“The Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry and Conciliation, Bolivia and Paraguay, desires to state that the neutral Commissioners have been actively engaged since the beginning of July in studying the historical, juridical, diplomatic, economic, geographic and other scientific factors involved in any proposal for a settlement of the controversy between Bolivia and Paraguay affecting the Chaco Boreal. Since the time when the neutrals undertook the task in question, they have had the cooperation not only of the technical experts who have been consulted, but they have had the benefit also of conversations with the Delegates of the interested countries. In none of these conversations with the Delegates of the interested countries, however, have the latter made any commitment of any kind though they have spoken with commendable frankness of the positions and aspirations of their respective countries.
The neutral Commissioners are now proceeding to the formulation of their proposal to be submitted to the interested Governments through their respective Delegations on the Commission. The Chairman of the Commission hopes that this task will shortly be completed.
Intensive and careful studies have also been made of all the documentation submitted by the Delegations of the interested countries [Page 870] with reference to the events of December, last. The result of these studies will shortly be considered by the neutral Commissioners with a view to carrying out the conciliatory functions of the Commission under the Protocol of January 3, 1929.”
- The same, mutatis mutandis, on the same date to the Minister in Paraguay as telegram No. 40.↩