710.G/232

The Chargé in El Salvador ( McCafferty ) to the Secretary of State

No. 348

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a translation of a headline article20 which appeared on the front page of the daily La Prensa of San Salvador of September 21st, entitled “There is No Hostility between the United States and El Salvador,” in which it is asserted that there is no basis to fear that any difficulties will arise between the American and Salvadoran delegates to the Seventh International Conference of American States to be held next December in Montevideo, because of the non-recognition by the United States of the Martínez régime. Due to the strict press censorship this article, if not inspired by, has the approval of the present administration.

At the diplomatic reception at the Mexican Legation on September 16th in honor of Mexican Independence Day, I had a personal and informal conversation with Doctor Miguel Angel Araujo, de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador. He brought up the subject of the coming Pan American Conference and he seemed to be very much concerned regarding the status of the Salvadoran delegation to that conference in view of the fact that the Martínez régime had not been recognized by various American countries, particularly the United States. I naturally expressed no opinion regarding the matter as I have no idea of the Department’s views on the subject, but I received the impression that El Salvador at the coming Conference would be willing to work in harmony with the United States if it felt sure beforehand that its delegates would be treated at the convention on an equal basis with those of the other countries without any question as to recognition or as to the international legality of the present government.

I am convinced that the present renewed propaganda activities of the de facto Government of El Salvador to encourage the convocation of a Central American Conference to discuss the 1923 treaties21 so that the Martínez régime might be recognized, is due to a real concern regarding the status of the Salvadoran delegation at the coming Pan American Conference.

If the Department deems it advisable to give me its confidential opinion in respect to the above mentioned subject, I believe that I [Page 16] may be able discretely to prevent an anti-American attitude such as the Salvadoran delegation assumed at the last Pan American Conference which was held in Havana in 1928.

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W. J. McCafferty
  1. Not printed.
  2. Foreign Relations, 1923, vol. i, pp. 320 ff.; Conference on Central American Affairs, Washington, December 4, 1922–February 7, 1928 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1923), pp. 283 ff.