724.3415/2900 6/7
Memorandum by the Chairman of the Commission of Neutrals (White)
The Chilean Chargé d’Affaires, Mr. Cohen, called and read me a cable from Cruchaga saying that he had telephoned to Rio today and that he had learned that Brazil will this afternoon deliver a favorable reply to the Chilean and Argentine Governments regarding their plan of action in the Chaco. They will endeavor to hasten the Peruvian answer and Mr. Cohen said that as the Peruvian Government has all the way through instructed the Peruvian Embassy here to work in close harmony with the Chilean Embassy he did not anticipate any difficulty on the part of Peru. He said of course there might be some reluctance now to act as whole-heartedly as before because Chile had sent a fairly strong note to Peru regarding the Leticia matter.
Cruchaga’s telegram told Cohen to emphasize that there is nothing in the Mendoza agreement hostile to the Neutral Commission. He said that Saavedra Lamas at that conference had stated that he did not want to supplant the Neutral Commission and that his idea all the way through had been to work in close cooperation with the Neutrals. Cruchaga added that this is also the view of the Brazilian Government. The telegram also stated that the delay in Peru’s answer might be due to the representations which Bolivia is making at Lima, representations which are pretty well known about in Santiago, and that ex-President Montes of Bolivia had told the Chilean Minister in La Paz that Bolivia really wants peace and can not carry on the war much longer.
Mr. Cohen has not yet received the text of the proposal regarding the Chaco, which is coming to him by airmail, but from the telegraphic summary he understands it to envisage an agreement for what he called global arbitration. It also provides for the immediate suspension of hostilities, demobilization down to peace time strength, and retirement of forces to a line to be agreed upon, but Cohen does not know what that line is.
Mr. Cohen said that as soon as Peru answers, a preliminary sounding out would be made both in Asunción and La Paz, and then the matter would be taken up with the Neutral Commission to see if the five Governments represented thereon and the four neighboring countries could join together in making a joint proposal and in asking all the other American nations to join with them in this matter. He said that as soon as he receives the text of the agreement he will let me have it.
I thanked Mr. Cohen for the information he gave me and told him I would await his further communication with interest.