724.3415/2548: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 25—2:50 p.m.]
337. Wilson’s 44, November 18, 9 p.m. The Council this afternoon (the representatives of Bolivia and Paraguay present at the table) approved without discussion the report of its President concerning Bolivia-Paraguay dispute and also the text of two telegrams, one of which will be despatched to the Governments of Bolivia and Paraguay and the other to the Chairman of the Commission of Neutrals. Since the text of the former will be embodied in the latter it will not be cabled by the Consulate. The following are pertinent portions of the President’s report:
“The fact that members of the League should depart from the principles they have bound themselves to respect cannot but be a cause of grave concern to the Council which has a direct obligation for the preservation of peace. In your Committee’s view it is imperative to fortify the action of the Commission of Neutrals. That action is directed towards the same goal as our own, to prevent any further bloodshed and to arrive as soon as possible at a settlement of the entire dispute.”
The report contains also the following statement:
“One of the obstacles to the suspension of hostilities would seem to be the fear on either side of a possible rearmament on the other. As the two members concerned in this dispute are not producers of arms, ammunitions and implements of war, any increase in their belligerent strength depends on consignments from abroad. The committee therefore feels that the attention of governments should be directed to this matter”.
The report ends by stating that the parties to the dispute should realize that the Council is watching their action with the greatest [Page 252] anxiety and requests the representatives of the parties to apprise their governments of the Council’s feelings in the matter.
This both representatives agreed to do but they then launched into a series of statements regarding the dispute which were doubtless reiterations of their Governments’ positions with which the Department is fully familiar. This exchange was at length terminated by the President who reminded them that the substance of the dispute was not before the Council.