724.34119/1432: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Argentina (Weddell)
86. For Braden from the Under Secretary. Your 172, June 29, 9 p.m. The Department is delighted that there now is an encouraging prospect of a definitive settlement of the Chaco dispute, and appreciates to the full the perseverance, initiative and ability you have exercised in bringing the negotiations to their present stage. The Department believes, however, that the proposal should come from the Conference rather than from President Roosevelt. You may inform the other mediatory delegates that your Government has instructed you to strongly support the presentation and adoption of such a Conference plan. If this procedure meets with the approval of your colleagues, please make the proposal outlined in your telegram, as modified in the following paragraphs which refer to the corresponding lettered paragraphs of that telegram, to a plenary session of the Conference including ex-belligerent delegations.
- (a)
- The preamble, in addition to emphasizing the importance and need of peace to all of the nations of this hemisphere might also emphasize that the assurance of peace would be of the greatest possible advantage to the people and Governments of Bolivia and Paraguay.
- (b)
- No changes.
- (c)
- No changes.
- (d)
- Reference should be made to “arbitrators” instead of “arbitrator”.
- (e)
- No changes.
- (f)
- The Conference proposes that the Presidents of the six mediatory countries, acting on behalf of their Governments and in collaboration with the Conference, serve as arbitrators in accordance with the plan outlined in paragraph (d) and that Paraguay and Bolivia sign immediately an arbitral compromis to this effect committing themselves to acceptance of the award; this compromis to be ratified within 20 days by the Constitutional Convention in Bolivia and by a plebiscite, possibly including women, in Paraguay, the arbitral award to be given 10 days thereafter.
The Department is of the opinion that the modifications suggested in the plan as outlined in your telegram are necessary and desirable in [Page 156] order to preserve the solidarity of the six mediatory nations, to secure the added weight of the Governments and peoples of those six countries in support of the proposal, and as an effective step in strengthening the general system of inter-American peace machinery. The Department would approve of a motion by you that as host to the Conference the President of the Argentine Republic be requested by the Conference to communicate with the other five presidents regarding their role as arbitrators or to act as Chairman of the arbitrators.
The Department assumes that there will be a clear understanding concerning the award as set forth in the final paragraph of your telegram.
If it is possible to follow the procedure outlined in this telegram, please so advise the Department immediately. A statement then will be given to the press to the effect that you have been given instructions regarding a possible definitive settlement of the Chaco dispute, and that the instructions themselves will be made public at the hour of the Conference meeting.