724.3415/2110a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Bolivia (Feely)
30. Please keep in close touch with Minister of Foreign Affairs and advise Department when a reply may be expected to Neutrals’ telegram of the 17th as well as the nature thereof. Please endeavor discreetly to have Bolivia make some suggestion which fits in with the declaration of August 3. Bolivia up to now has limited herself to [Page 74] rejecting the suggestions of the Neutrals. The Neutrals earnestly hope Bolivia will now help them by dealing frankly with them, telling them her problems and making suggestions for meeting them.
Do you think Bolivia would accept and possibly suggest, in answer to the telegram of the 17th, that the forts taken by her since June 1 will be evacuated if not reoccupied by Paraguay, thus forming in effect a neutral zone, and would Bolivia agree that neutral representatives be sent to report how the neutrality of the zone is being observed?
Of course if you discuss this matter with the Bolivian authorities do so most discreetly and as coming from yourself and not as coming from this Government or Neutrals. We of course do not know whether Paraguay would accept such a suggestion if made and are therefore not making any suggestion to Bolivia. If Bolivia, however, should make such a suggestion in reply to the telegram of the Neutrals, the Neutrals would endeavor to have Paraguay accept and feel confident that the neighboring countries would do so also.
The important thing now is that Bolivia make some definite suggestion as to how her position can be reconciled with the statement of principles of August 3 which Bolivia has also said she accepts. The problem therefore is really trying to reconcile Bolivia’s own differing statements of position. The Neutrals have tried to be helpful in this, offering a way out, but suggestion was not accepted. Bolivia should now be helpful by making a concrete suggestion. Also it would have been helpful had Bolivia given some reasons for rejecting the Neutral proposal of August 9th. If Bolivia has good reasons for doing so it would naturally help the Neutrals to know what those reasons are as with a knowledge of Bolivia’s problems they could perhaps be more helpful. Bolivia should realize that the Neutrals are trying to work with her and not against her and are trying to find a solution satisfactory to both Bolivia and Paraguay.