724.3415/5005: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Weddell) to the Secretary of State
94. From Gibson. Last paragraph my 91, June 19, 5 p.m. Had a long talk with Saavedra Lamas last night at his house.
He is convinced that the Bolivian Congress will ratify well within the time limit and proposes upon receipt of news to this effect to call the mediatory group in order that it may request the President to issue invitations for the Peace Conference. Apparently he does not propose to await exchange of ratifications.
He says that the work to date has been hampered by the fact that press representatives were crowded around the doors of the conference room and were able to hear and surmise too much. This is an under statement of the facts. He has chosen more secluded rooms [Page 83] for the Peace Conference and hopes thus to reduce the temptation for oratory and discourage press sensations.
He has been urged by the Paraguayans to concentrate immediately upon the conclusion of the direct agreement referred to in article I, paragraph 3, of the Protocol. He feels this would be a mistake inasmuch as the discussions on this subject may repeatedly come to a deadlock and if that is sole work before the Conference, the press may draw the conclusion that it is proceeding from one break-down to another. He would prefer to divide the work into a number of problems for simultaneous discussion by committees in order that a temporary suspension of any single committee will not create the impression that the Conference has broken down.
In discussing the League recommendations he said that the question of inviting the other countries indicated by the League had not arisen and he hoped it would not: (1) that the League recommendations were nothing more than “recommendations” and were not mandatory; (2) that if this were a conference to deal with a question of direct common interest we could not properly refrain from inviting all other countries but that we must not lose sight of the fact that this was purely the exercise of good offices in a question directly affecting only two countries and he felt that if anything we were now too numerous and that any increase of the mediatory group would be unfortunate.
He says the present problem is a specific and limited task. Once this is out of the way he feels it would be desirable, either as an extension of this conference or in some other way to have a general conference in order to set up machinery for averting further wars in this hemisphere; that if we can dispose of this problem in America, particularly if it can be done without the necessity for recourse to European arbitration, we shall be in an advantageous position to go on to the next step of providing for the future and for that reason we will continue to keep the same group for the immediate task and to have an all-American group for future problems.
He went on to say that if everything works out as he now sees it we may well have our first meeting next week; that even if there is further delay there will be no time for the other countries mentioned in the League recommendations to send representatives to Buenos Aires, which would mean that local representatives would have to be appointed. … In his opinion the essential thing now is to hold the conference in such a way as to be sure of the presence of Macedo Soares, Cruchaga and Concha and he thinks the possibility of this will be materially lessened if the group is unduly diluted.
In conclusion Dr. Saavedra Lamas said that if he had been rather downright in outlining his views he did not wish me to draw the conclusion [Page 84] that he was rigid; that obviously if new considerations arose he would submit the whole question to the mediatory group in order that the problem might be examined and the right decision taken.
As Dr. Saavedra Lamas outlined his views in considerable detail, I have felt that I should report them fully so that you may have them before you in preparing your instructions as to the action you desire me to take. [Gibson.]
- Telegram in two sections.↩