611.3531/600: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina ( Weddell ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:55 a.m.]
27. Department’s No. 18, February 12, 7 p.m. Pressure of official engagements prevented the President-elect from receiving me until late yesterday afternoon at which time I went over with him the matters embraced in the Department’s instruction.
He said that he was familiar with the Department’s communications to Espil to which I referred although these had only come to his notice yesterday; he added that then recognizing the difficulty and importance of the question he had instructed Louro, head of the Exchange Bureau, to proceed to Washington at once and that the latter was leaving by plane on the 19th. He said that Louro possessed a technical knowledge greater than his other representatives in Washington and would be able to clarify the Argentine position in exchange matters and promote an understanding and that he looked for positive results within 2 days of his arrival in our capital. I inquired here if Louro possessed full powers to act or if he would have to refer matters back to Buenos Aires with consequent further loss of time. A direct reply to this was evaded but the President-elect again stressed Louro’s capacities intimating in strongest terms that whatever Espil and Louro recommended would be ratified here, and declaring that he wished to emphasize his optimism as to the prospects of early arrival at an agreement.
[Page 287]I stressed in my remarks the feasibility of including in any agreement clauses providing for enunciation thereof, thus safeguarding vital interests, and the importance of the time element; this latter he said as a practical politician he quite appreciated. In response to an observation that what we were seeking seemed to be badly [baldly?] and simply most-favored-nation treatment, I replied that certainly in any trade negotiations we will be compelled to ask such treatment in exchange matters, as this was part of a general commercial policy which embraced a broad program.