710.H Continental Solidarity/97: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Hull) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 8:42 a.m.]
Following telegram has been sent to the Embassy at Rio de Janeiro.28
“December 23, 3 a.m. Please call immediately on Aranha and ask him immediately to take up the following matter with President Vargas.
Agreement upon a declaration of American solidarity was reached Thursday upon a compromise proposal submitted by the Argentine Government and based partly on Brazilian, Peruvian, United States and other views. All of the delegations agreed except Argentina whose delegation was consulting its Government which was already committed to it.
Apparently without being informed of this and in a generous effort to propose a solution President Vargas and President Ortiz by telephone agreed to submit a joint formula. Naturally this would now upset the agreement reached here and there is grave doubt whether in view of the difficulty encountered by us in persuading many delegations to accept the Lima agreement on Thursday we could persuade these delegations to accept a new formula. Plainly neither President Vargas nor President Ortiz desires anything but harmony and their move was intended not to break tip but to assist an agreement. Under these circumstances it is earnestly hoped that President Vargas in the same spirit of generosity which prompted him to suggest a joint formula without knowing of the agreements reached here will join in withdrawing that formula in view of the situation here. It would be much appreciated if he would communicate in that sense with Mello Franco and with President Ortiz. A similar telegram is being sent to our Embassy at Buenos Aires asking that President Ortiz take the same action. Effect of endeavor to force through a new formula may well be to break up the Conference. Should the efforts of the two Presidents become known no damage could be done either to their prestige or to the work of the Conference unless by insistence on their formula new formulas spring up seriously complicating the Conference at this late stage.
Concha has promised to send telegrams in this sense to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. Mello Franco has agreed to telegraph his Government.
Telegraph a reply to the American delegation at Lima immediately and repeat your reply to the Department. Reply must be received here before Friday noon.”
- Mr. Hull also sent to the Department a copy of his telegram of the same date to the Embassy at Buenos Aires. It read, mutatis mutandis, the same as this telegram.↩