724.3415/2663: Telegram
The Minister in Bolivia (Feely) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:55 p.m.]
142. In informal conversation with the President of the Republic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs this morning the President, after asking me to inform the Department that Bolivia was firmly determined to continue the negotiations with the least possible delay, stated that he was reliably informed that Argentina was bringing pressure to bear on Paraguay to withdraw her delegate from Washington and to have the negotiations transferred to Geneva.
The President added that Bolivia was greatly perturbed at Paraguay’s apparent desire to have the negotiations transferred to Geneva and inquired if my Government could take any steps to counteract it, adding that Bolivia, in the event of Paraguay’s withdrawal from Washington, would be prepared to disavow League’s intervention in the dispute and even to withdraw from the League entirely provided [Page 131] she could count on our support of such a step. He mentioned the possibility of invoking article 21 of the Covenant, inasmuch as the Chaco dispute is a purely American question.
I replied that the matter was an extremely delicate one especially in view of the League’s apparent desire to cooperate with the Neutral Commission and that I could only inform my Government of this informal conversation and request instructions as to the Department’s attitude in such an eventuality.