710.G/330: Telegram
The Minister in Uruguay (Wright) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:48 p.m.]
41. Minister for Foreign Affairs in a conversation held at his request has given me copy of the true reading of cipher telegram from the Uruguayan Minister at Santiago dated 3rd instant stating that Argentine Government had sought support of Chilean Government for the proposal of the former that the Conference be postponed for 3 months on account of Chaco, Leticia and Cuba. Telegram then textually quotes reply of Cruchaga35 to the effect that Chilean Government believes that causes now adduced for postponement existed at the time when invitations were issued and furthermore, that they will obtain for 3 months more and perhaps become aggravated; that what Uruguayan Government has determined upon should be accepted and that it would be out of order to suggest anything in this connection; and that the arrangements have proceeded so far as to render postponement inopportune.
The telegram states further that the [Minister?] is informed that Argentina made the same proposal to Peru whose Minister for Foreign Affairs asked Chilean Government for its opinion which was expressed in terms similar to the above and in which Peru entirely concurred.
Uruguayan Minister for Foreign Affairs then said to me “We have long been aware of a persistent effort to postpone Conference which has taken various forms in various quarters but we have hitherto been unable definitely to trace the source, believing at one time that it might be Bolivia. This telegram enables us to localize the inflammation [information?] which we believe comes from a person whose main desires are to establish the leadership of Argentina on this continent and to destroy the spirit of Pan-Americanism, the latter of which would certainly be seriously impaired if the Conference were postponed. We know that he has also approached Brazil although when he was here with the President of Argentina on October 17th [Page 39] he disclaimed any conversations on the subject while in Rio de Janeiro”.
In view of the conversation reported in Ambassador Weddell’s telegram of October 28, of which I made no mention whatever to Uruguayan Minister for Foreign Affairs, I think we may now accurately measure the extent of the attempt which has been made to “torpedo” the Conference—to employ phraseology of Uruguayan Minister for Foreign Affairs.
I have repeated this to the Embassy at Buenos Aires but in view of its unusual nature and the great confidence reposed in me by the Uruguayan Government I venture to suggest that it be not repeated elsewhere.
- Miguel Cruchaga Tocornal, Chilean Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩