710.Peace/606
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Peru ( Dearing )
Sir: The Department has received your despatch No. 4550, of May 13, 1936,25 reporting a conversation with the Foreign Minister, during which the latter requested you to take up with the Department the question of the date for the convocation of the Inter-American Conference which is to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Department has noted the desires of President Benavides and the Foreign Minister in favor of convening the conference at as early a date as possible and you may inform the Minister of Foreign Affairs that although it would not seem possible for practical reasons that the conference could be held in Buenos Aires until early autumn, [Page 22] in view of the time required for obtaining unanimity on the program and for the voyages of the respective delegations, and that while, because of the Presidential elections which will be held here, it would be highly inconvenient for this Government should the conference be held in September or October, nevertheless this Government will, of course, make every endeavor to comply with the wishes of the other participating Governments in arriving at a date most satisfactory to all.
The Department has noted that the Foreign Minister has expressed concern regarding the possible effect which the Buenos Aires conference might have upon the Eighth International Conference of American States which will probably be held in Lima during 1938, and you may assure the Foreign Minister that this Government shares the opinion of Peru that nothing should be done which might in any way influence adversely the prospects of the eighth conference. This Government has always placed great importance upon the periodic inter-American conferences and has always endeavored to do everything within its power to make them successful.
It is the understanding of this Government that the extraordinary conference at Buenos Aires will consider primarily questions relative to the maintenance of peace and that the many important questions relating to general inter-American relations, which are of very real and vital interest to the respective governments, will be considered at the Lima conference. Rather than diminishing the importance of the Lima conference, it is the hope of this Government that whatever success the Buenos Aires conference may have will materially increase the opportunities for practical accomplishments of the Lima conference and will facilitate the labors of that meeting.
Very truly yours,
- Not printed.↩