721.23/1203
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (White)
The Colombian Minister and Doctor Guzmán20 called and showed me a telegram from their Government stating that there had been an artillery duel between the Cordoba and Peruvian airplanes which had tried to bomb the Colombian flotilla while it was in Brazilian waters. The telegram added that Colombian scouting planes arrived in time to drive off the Peruvian airplanes.
The Minister said that he did not know whether any Brazilian boats were with the Colombian ships and hence could verify that the attack took place in Brazilian waters. The Minister had made the suggestion to his Government some time ago that they try to have a Brazilian squadron accompany the Colombian ships and when he came to the Department his Legation was deciphering a telegram on this subject from Bogotá inquiring whether this Government would back up any moves made by Colombia in this sense in Rio. I told the Minister that if Colombia had not already taken this step it would now appear to be pretty late to do so as hostilities had already commenced. Furthermore, I said I thought this was a matter which should be handled by the Colombians in Rio and I did not see any need, certainly at this time, for our coming into the matter.
The Minister then inquired whether we had any precedents in the Manchuria matter with respect to declaring our neutrality when there were hostilities but no declaration of war. I said that no neutrality proclamation had been issued by this Government in connection with the recent events in Manchuria21 or in the Chaco.22
- Pomponio Guzmán, special representative of Colombia at Washington.↩
- See vol. iii, pp. 1 ff.↩
- See ante, pp. 241 ff.↩