724.3415/3913

The Secretary of State to the Peruvian Ambassador (Freyre)

Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency’s note of June 26th advising me that the President[s] of Peru and Colombia have agreed to promote a conference for the purpose of initiating direct negotiations between Bolivia and Paraguay and of cooperating in the friendly settlement of the Chaco question. The conference would be attended by delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, the United States, Mexico, and the belligerent nations. Your Excellency further states that the Bolivian Government has accepted the form of mediation proposed but that the Government of Paraguay has indicated to the President of Peru in its reply its inability to accept the invitation on the ground that the mediation of the League of Nations is still pending.

Finally, Your Excellency informs me that the Government of Peru would greatly appreciate it were the Government of the United States to support the proposed project of a conference, feeling sure that an important step would thus be taken in bringing to a close the deplorable Chaco conflict.

I have the honor to request that Your Excellency will be good enough to advise the Government of Peru of the deep appreciation felt by the Government of the United States for the information thus conveyed to it and for the invitation so graciously extended. My Government feels, as does the Government of Peru, that it is an obligation incumbent upon the republics of the American continent to further in every friendly way possible the peaceful settlement of any and all controversies arising on the continent since hostilities between two American republics inevitably involve the interests of every other American republic inasmuch as the peace, welfare and economic stability of the continent are affected thereby. My Government further believes that the notable precedent recently created by the Governments of Peru and Colombia in the pacific solution of the controversy which had unfortunately arisen between them,95 affords a welcome proof that controversies arising over boundary adjustments are susceptible of an equitable and peaceful solution and [Page 140] that for that reason the initiative so laudably taken by the Governments of Peru and Colombia at this time was peculiarly fitting.

As the Government of Peru is well aware, this Government, throughout the period during which the hostilities in the Chaco have continued, has held itself ready at all times to further in every possible way the promotion of peace between Bolivia and Paraguay, provided such cooperation on its part were welcome to the two belligerent nations. Unfortunately, from Your Excellency’s note under acknowledgment as well as from information which has reached this Government from other sources, it appears that the Government of Paraguay is not willing at this moment to accept the invitation extended by Your Excellency’s Government and by that of Colombia. After very careful deliberation the Government of the United States has reached the conclusion that it might, therefore, be productive of more beneficial results to postpone for the time being the consideration of calling the proposed conference, in the hope that an opportunity may very soon arise when both the belligerent nations engaged in the war in the Chaco may be disposed to participate in a conference called for the purpose of assisting them to find a peaceful solution to this tragic dispute.

In conclusion may I state that this Government applauds the noble initiative taken by the Governments of Peru and Colombia and finds itself most heartily in agreement with the belief of those two Governments thus manifested that the American nations should cooperate in promoting the peaceful adjudication of all controversies which may arise on this continent.

Accept [etc.]

Cordell Hull
  1. See pp. 321 ff.