Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1933, The American Republics, Volume IV

724.3415/3355: Telegram

The Ambassador in Brazil (Gibson) to the Secretary of State

Rio de Janeiro, October 13, 1933—4 p.m.
[Received October 13—3:47 p.m.]

92. Minister of Foreign Affairs tells me he has conferred at length on the Chaco question with President Justo⁴¹ who has thus far been considered an obstacle to solution. Justo expressed himself much gratified and authorized his Foreign Minister to sign with Mello Franco yesterday a hastily drafted “secret agreement” as to the terms of a fresh proposal to be made to Paraguay and Bolivia. He said this would not conflict with the effort of the League of Nations but would be “parallel to it”.

The press has published the text of the joint telegram sent by the Presidents of Argentina and Brazil to the Presidents of Bolivia and Paraguay exhorting them to submit the Chaco conflict to arbitration—also replies which express desire of both countries to find a peaceful solution but which in no way commit them.⁴²

Gibson

41. President of Argentina.
42. For correspondence, see Republica de Bolivia, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto, Memoria presentada al Congreso de 1934. Conflicto del Chaco (La Paz, Editorial “Renacimiento”, 1934), pp. 443–446; Republica del Paraguay, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Libro Blanco, III Parte, Documentos Relativos al Mandato de la Liga de Las Naciones a los Gobiernos del ABCP (Proposition del 25 de Agosto de 1933), y al Acta del 11 de Octubre de 1933 (Asunción, Imprenta Nacional, 1934), pp. 71–85.