724.3415/1958: Telegram
The Commission of Neutrals to the Bolivian Minister for Foreign Affairs (Gutiérrez)
The representatives of the neutral nations have had the honor to receive Your Excellency’s cablegram dated the 4th instant in which you answer their cablegram of the 2nd instant, to which reply they have given the most careful attention.
The representatives of the neutral nations believe that in order to arrive, on this subject, at prompt and effective solutions, it is necessary first of all to establish with absolute clearness the facts concerning the incidents which have occurred, and, for this reason, they take the liberty of pointing out to Your Excellency that when they said, [Page 59] in their cablegram of the 2nd instant: “they regret to note that Bolivia is not interested in investigations of the recent occurrences, and will not give orders not to commit hostile acts in the Chaco” they based themselves on the following categorical words of Your Excellency’s cablegram of August 1 “Investigations which do not define the fundamental question do not interest us. Bolivia desires the final solution of the controversy. It does not desire to be perennially on guard in the Chaco checking the advances of Paraguay. It is for this reason that the country has reacted with all its forces resolved to liquidate the controversy even by arms”. In reply to the inquiry which Your Excellency is good enough to make of the neutral representatives as to whether they would deem fit to modify their proposal in the sense of accepting for the suspension the [of] hostilities “the state of things existing at the moment of the agreement” they fulfill the duty of stating to Your Excellency that they cannot consider it because that would imply the recognition of acts of force in the settlement of controversies between the American nations, which is contrary to their rooted convictions and to the Declaration of Principles which 19 nations of America have just formulated on the 3rd day of the present month in the following words “The American nations further declare that they will not recognize any territorial arrangement of this controversy which has not been obtained by peaceful means nor the validity of territorial acquisitions which may be obtained through occupation or conquest by force of arms”.49
These necessary explanations having been made, the representatives of the neutral countries trust that Your Excellency’s Government will desire to order the immediate suspension of hostilities on the basis of the positions of Bolivia and Paraguay of June 1, 1932, and to submit the Chaco dispute, immediately afterwards, to a settlement by arbitration or other friendly means which may be acceptable to both. They are addressing today the same views to the government of Paraguay.
Secretary of State of the United States
Minister of Colombia
Chargé d’Affaires of Uruguay
Chargé d’Affaires of Cuba
Chargé d’Affaires of Mexico