724.3415/3927a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Bolivia (Des Portes)

10. You are instructed at the earliest opportunity to obtain an interview with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and present to him orally and textually on behalf of the Government of the United States the following representations:

“The Government of the United States has received for its confidential information from the Government of the Argentine Republic [Page 146] a copy of the conciliation formula to provide for a pacific solution of the Chaco dispute prepared by the Argentine Minister for Foreign Affairs and submitted to the Governments of Bolivia and Paraguay. As the Government of Bolivia is aware, the Government of the United States is now as always disposed to exert every effort to promote a peaceful solution of this tragic war on terms equally honorable to both countries and to cooperate with any nation, or group of nations, or any organization, towards that end, provided such cooperation is agreeable to the two nations at war. Your Excellency will recall the earnest efforts which the Secretary of State of the United States made in that sense during the course of the Inter-American Conference at Montevideo.

The Argentine Government has requested the cooperation of the Governments of Brazil and of the United States in supporting the conciliation formula thus presented to the Government of Bolivia.

My Government has carefully examined the formula submitted for the consideration of Your Excellency’s Government by the Argentine Government and believes it to be a method for arriving at a fair and equitable solution of this long standing controversy through direct conciliation and in the event that such direct conciliation might regrettably not prove practicable, the method suggested would provide for the submission of the question to the arbitral decision of the Permanent Court of International Justice.

As an impartial friend of both Bolivia and Paraguay, the Government of the United States is sure that the Government of Bolivia will recognize that in view of this opportunity which has thus been presented for adjusting through peaceful means this controversy which has continued for so long a period and which has been so destructive of the life and the wealth of both the Governments involved and which has been a cause of such grave disquiet to the friends of peace on the American continent, the Government of the United States cannot but express its most earnest and sincere hope that the Government of Bolivia will find it feasible to accept the invitation thus conveyed.

My Government has expressed the hope to the Government of Argentina that should it be possible for the Governments of Bolivia and Paraguay to reach a confidential agreement upon the bases proposed, all of the American republics should be invited to join in presenting the suggested conciliation formula officially to those two Governments.

In conclusion I am instructed to state to Your Excellency that my Government trusts that the Government of Bolivia will appreciate the motives of sincere friendship which prompt the Government of the United States to express the very earnest hope that this opportunity for reaching a peaceful settlement of the Chaco war may not be rejected”.

Please cable the Department immediately the reply which may be made to you by the Bolivian Minister for Foreign Affairs and keep the Department closely advised by cable of all subsequent developments. You should also cable whether the Brazilian Minister has as yet made representations in a similar sense to the Bolivian Government.

Hull