724.3415/4355: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 21—2:45 p.m.]
341. Avenol this afternoon expressed himself to me as follows:
He is somewhat disturbed by press reports from Rio de Janeiro to the effect that Paraguay would refuse the report but more in particular that Asunción had declared League efforts to be a failure and [Page 112] that she would turn to “American mediation”. While he expects that in any event Paraguay would be slow in accepting the report he foresees a pretext for delay in this alleged appeal for American mediation. He feels that could this pretext, if possible, be taken from them at this particular juncture it would be most helpful. He thus has preoccupations whether Washington would consider taking action either privately or publicly with the two governments as in a somewhat similar situation in the Leticia matter (Department’s press release November 193380).
- Not found in Department files.↩