724.3415/3005: Telegram
The Minister in Paraguay (Wheeler) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 11—1:10 a.m.]
43. My telegram No. 42, April 7, 10 p.m. [a.m.] On April 8, my Brazilian colleague received instructions to make the representation “together with the Argentine and Chilean Ministers” and to take the initiative in the affair. The Argentine and Chilean Ministers also were on that date informed that I would join with them and with the Brazilian Minister in the prospective action. Last night the Argentine Minister sent me word that he had arranged a meeting within the hour with the Minister for Foreign Affairs at whose house we met and made the joint representation, my Brazilian colleague taking the lead. It appeared, however, at this meeting that the instructions received by my colleagues had either lacked clearness or had been in very general terms, the Argentine Minister appearing to be most hazy as to what his Government was pressing. The Chilean Minister later told me confidentially that he himself had not received any specific instruction but was so certain from previous correspondence of what Cruchaga desired that he had joined the representations without hesitation. As my personal understanding with the President was complete and satisfactory I stated merely that my instructions were to cooperate with [Page 303] my colleagues in behalf of the Mendoza formula. The Minister for Foreign Affairs replied that the matter would be considered by the Cabinet and a communication made to us as soon as practicable. After the meeting I went to the President’s house and gave him its details. He had already been informed that the conference had not shown complete unanimity and said that further consideration and postponement by the neighbor powers seems inevitable. I suggested that he ask that we four representatives confer with him today to see if the difficulty could not be ironed out without delay. The Argentine Minister, however, sent word that he had suddenly been taken ill and could not take part.
This morning the President telegraphed me that he was not disposed to defer longer to the backing and filling of Brazil and Argentine and that a note was being sent me which was this Government’s separate reply to my own representation. I asked him to withhold it till I could speak with him and went to the Palace where I urged that it be made an identic note to all four representatives and that it be so couched as to cover the points of my representation without specifically referring to it. The result after a Cabinet meeting was an identic memorandum which has now been handed to me and to my three colleagues of which the following is a translation:
“The Government of Paraguay, desirous of putting an end to the war, as soon as possible, in order to seek by appropriate means a legal solution of the conflict with Bolivia, declares that it agrees to the withdrawal of its second reservation to the formula of Mendoza, with the result that the Bolivian troops should retire to Ballivian and Robore. It likewise agrees that the other amendments and additions which it made in its answer of the 27th of February shall be the object of consideration later, upon the occasion of the negotiation of the arbitral compromise.”
… The Peruvian Minister has received no communication whatever from his Government touching the matter.