724.34119/141: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Weddell) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:55 p.m.]
191. From Dawson. A new proposal for the solution of the prisoners of war problem was submitted to the Bolivian and Paraguayan delegations on August 21st by the Prisoners of War Committee. While differently worded it was basically the same as the August 10th proposal.81
Replies were received yesterday from the chiefs of the two delegations who had avowedly consulted their Governments. Both suggested changes in substance which would be unacceptable to the other party and took stands even more extreme than when the August 10th formula was presented to them.
Saavedra Lamas is leaving today for a 10-day vacation in northern Argentina. He held a meeting yesterday evening with the Argentines, Brazilians, Chileans and myself to discuss the Bolivian and Paraguayan replies to the August 21st proposal and the future course of the Conference. He agreed that there was nothing which could be done now on the prisoners of war problem and stated that in view of the failure to reach agreement on the minor problems and the expressed desire of both contending delegations that the fundamental territorial question be taken up he intended to have the Conference tackle the latter on his return to Buenos Aires. I gathered, however, that he expected to try informal conversations first and not immediately resume plenary sessions.
It is the general consensus of opinion among the delegates that there is slight chance of success in dealing with the territorial question. The unwillingness of both Bolivia and Paraguay to compromise their extreme points of view has given little room for mediatory efforts so far and there is no indication of a change in tactics on [Page 131] the part of either. Saavedra Lamas made one illuminating remark indicating growing realism and pessimism as to the situation; he said that the Conference could not last forever and that if a direct agreement were not reached or an arbitral compromise drawn up within a reasonable time it might be necessary to fill the gap in the June 12th Protocol by an additional agreement providing a definite term of life for the Conference.
Repeated to the Embassy in Rio de Janeiro. [Dawson.]