724.3415/4853: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Argentina (Cox)
44. Your 39, May 11, 10 p.m. The action taken by you during the last session of the mediation commission is approved.
With regard to the question of Mexican participation, the Argentine Ambassador yesterday showed me a cable received from his Foreign Minister stating that the Argentine Government believed that the number of states represented in the mediation commission should not be increased and that he had learned that this was the view of Dr. Elio, the Bolivian Foreign Minister.
The Bolivian Minister in Washington yesterday, however, by instruction of his Government stated that the Bolivian Government considered the inclusion of Mexico in the mediation commission a fundamental question and that the Bolivian Government would address a communication to the mediation commission in that sense. Should the matter, therefore, be brought up in tomorrow’s session, you should be guided by the instructions contained in the Department’s 41, May 10, 8 p.m. You should, of course, make it entirely clear that while this Government concurs in the belief that for practical reasons a limitation of the states participating in the mediation commission to the present number might be desirable, and that greater efficiency in the work of the commission may be attained by a reduced number of mediators, nevertheless if Bolivia insists upon the participation of Mexico, this Government while supporting the proposal likewise feels it necessary to make the suggestions contained in its instruction to you above referred to.
With reference to Paragraph 6 of your cable above mentioned if the study of the documents connected with the Argentine-Chilean peace negotiations involves consideration of the so-called pacts of honor or pacts of security proposed as a result of the Chilean-Bolivian consultation, it is particularly desirable that you refrain from indicating any intention on the part of this Government to become a signatory of such pacts. For your confidential information, the Department has reason to believe that both the Argentine Government and the Brazilian Government would be reluctant to enter into any such commitments as those proposed in these pacts and it would be preferable that this Government’s unwillingness to adhere to any pacts such as these which contain the implied obligation to use force should it be necessary to do so in order to comply with the guaranties comprised in these pacts should not be made known until after the views of the Argentine and Brazilian Governments have been made clear in the course of the discussions. For that reason, should you be requested to express the views of your Government [Page 59] concerning the proposed pacts, you may say that you have not received instructions in the matter and that you will have to obtain the views of your Government before making any reply.
Please continue to report upon each session of the commission in the same full detail as in your cable under reference.