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

710.G Peace/3: Telegram

The Chairman of the American Delegation (Hull) to the Acting Secretary of State

Montevideo, December 8, 1933—5 p.m.
[Received 6 p.m.]

37. Referring to chapter I of agenda, progress to date as follows:

1. First Commission of Conference is organized for study of this chapter. Clark, Weddell, Wright are the American members.

2. Commission is divided into 3 subcommittees, the first dealing with topics 1, 2, and 3; the second with topic 5 and the third with the Chaco dispute. We are represented on first subcommittee only.

3. Topic 4, Argentine anti-war pact,¹² is apparently disposed of by placing it in the office of the Secretary General for further signatures. Guatemala and Venezuela have announced they would sign. We may feel constrained to sign with reservations for sake of teamwork. I may have a further telegram for you on this later.

4. Topic 1. Mexico has prepared a project aimed to supersede and to consolidate into one document all existing peace arbitration and conciliatory machinery. Sierra tells Clark privately that he does not expect his project to come to a vote because of devotion of Paraguay to Gondra Treaty¹³ and Argentine to anti-war pact.¹⁴ Clark doubts that any effective affirmative action will be taken on this Mexican project.

5. Topic 2a. Varela, the Uruguayan delegate who is more or less managing the first subcommittee, does not approve American [Institute of International Law?] coordinating draft covering this point and favors bilateral conventions setting up conciliation commissions in time of peace to function in times of trouble. This seems more or less the Bryan Peace Pact idea. Varela apparently contemplates the adoption by the Conference of a protocol providing for this machinery. I shall favor this plan.

6. Topic 3 will not be considered owing to the decided objection of Peru.

7. Venezuela proposed to the first commission this morning a project designed more or less to cover situations contemplated by draft proposal submitted in my telegram No. 36, December 7, 4 p.m. Venezuelan draft contemplates use of members of Pan American Union Board as conciliating commission. This suggestion met serious opposition. Venezuelan proposal referred to second subcommittee.

Would appreciate reply my telegram No. 36 at the Department’s earliest convenience.

Hull

12. For correspondence concerning this pact, see pp. 228 ff.
13. Treaty To Avoid or Prevent Conflicts Between the American States, signed at Santiago, May 3, 1923, Foreign Relations, 1923, vol. i, p. 308. This treaty was supplemented by the General Convention of Inter-American Conciliation, signed at Washington, January 5, 1929, ibid., 1929, vol. i, p. 653.
14. Signed at Rio de Janeiro, October 10, 1933, post, p. 234.