824.6363 ST 2/126
The Minister in Bolivia (Norweb) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 7.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Department’s telegraphic instruction No. 10, dated April 26, 1937, and to report that the views set forth therein were presented orally to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at 5:00 p.m. today. He was also permitted to read a paraphrase of the pertinent paragraph of the telegram.
Minister Finot remarked that the least any government could do under the circumstances would be to hope for an equitable settlement. …
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Minister of Foreign Affairs informed me that there are no discussions pending between the Government and the Company, but that negotiations will undoubtedly be initiated by Dr. Carlos Calvo, [Page 283] attorney for the Company, upon his arrival in La Paz, scheduled for early in May.
Minister Finot, after reading the pertinent part of the Department’s instruction, requested a copy thereof so that he might have a record of the definite terms used by the Department. I have not complied with the Minister’s request, nor shall I do so, unless the Department telegraphically instructs me to do otherwise. I personally feel that this recognition of the controversy is timely and proper. It was not wholly unexpected in view of Guachalla’s34 reports having prepared Finot for some notice on our part. As a first step the oral presentation of the Department’s views served a useful purpose.
It appears to me desirable to keep our part informal at this juncture, which was evidently the Department’s intention, at least until negotiations between the Bolivian Government and the Company are more developed. As matters now stand, the United States has given notice of its interest. That should suffice for the present, especially since Minister Finot’s attitude indicates that he is aware of the disadvantages of allowing the Bolivian Government’s action to appear too violent.
Respectfully yours,
- Fernando Guachalla, Bolivian Minister in the United States.↩