710.Consultation (2)/334
The Chargé in Guatemala (Cabot) to
the Secretary of State
No. 1356
Guatemala, July 11,
1940.
[Received July 16.]
Sir: With reference to my telegram No. 67 of
July 11, 5 [3] P.M., 1940, I have the honor to
enclose herewith a copy and translation of the Note which the German
Minister forwarded to the Guatemalan Foreign Office under date of July
1st with regard to the forthcoming Consultative Meeting at Habana.
As reported in the above-mentioned telegram, I discovered when checking
up the newspaper story mentioned by the Department, that a copy of this
Note had already been forwarded to me by the Foreign Office that morning
and, in fact, it reached me shortly after midday. I do not know why the
Foreign Office should have sent a copy of this Note to this Legation ten
days after it was written, but presume that it must have been done on
the basis of the newspaper story similar to that mentioned in the
Department’s telegram which was published in the local newspapers on the
evening of July 10th, under date line of San José, Costa Rica.
The German Minister’s Note does not appear to call for any particular
comment. It is couched in the same arrogant terms as other
[Page 799]
recent communications to the
Guatemalan Government in connection with acts of the latter which have
been distasteful to the German Government (see particularly this
Legation’s despatch No. 1268 of May 22, 1940, file No. 711.1/820.0252a).
As mentioned in my telegram under reference, I hope to be given a copy of
the German protest to the Foreign Office in regard to Alfredo
Schlesinger’s recently published pamphlet, El Arma
Secreta: La Quinta Columna, (see despatch No. 1348 of July 6,
1940, file No. 820.0253), and if it is given to me I shall forward it in a
separate despatch.
Respectfully yours,
[Enclosure—Translation]54
The German Minister in Central America
(Reinebeck) to the Guatemalan
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Salazar)
Mr. Minister: Under instructions from my
Government, I have the honor to communicate to Your Excellency the
following:
The Government of the German Reich has been informed that the
following proposals have been made for the deliberations of the
Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the American
Republics:
- 1.
- Neutrality:
- The work of the Neutrality Commission in Rio de Janeiro
should be given an efficacious and uniform form. Respect for
American neutrality and the prevention of activities by the
belligerent powers within American territory should be
attained by new measures.
- 2.
- Measures of an economic character:
-
a)
- European products should, whenever possible, be
replaced in the American market by merchandise of
American origin.
-
b)
- The maritime tonnage of the belligerent States
should be employed exclusively in inter-American
traffic, against suitable payment which should be
made only after the present war, in order to avoid
economic aid to the belligerent State in
question.
The Government of the Reich takes the following position in regard to
these proposals:
With regard to point 2, a), be good enough to
take into consideration that, in view of the future development of
commercial relations between Germany and the American States, a
substitution of European products by American, even where it might
theoretically be
[Page 800]
possible,
would be contrary to the economic interests of the majority of the
American States, since only European suppliers and particularly
Germany, are in a position to receive in payment the products of
those countries in the desirable and necessary manner.
Point 2, b). The proposal to give the work of
the Neutrality Commission in Rio de Janeiro an efficacious form
apparently refers to the project submitted for discussion to the
Neutrality Commission—and which in practice would only affect German
and Italian boats unilaterally—by which merchant vessels of the
belligerent nations laid up in American ports should be interned. I
should not wish to fail to call the attention of Your Excellency to
the fact that the Government of the Reich in such case would find
itself under the necessity of considering the utilization of German
boats now in American ports, by an American State, and without the
consent of Germany, as an attitude contrary to neutrality and
incompatible with the friendly relations between Germany and the
American nations.
Moreover, I am instructed to express in general the firm hope of the
Government of the Reich that the work of the above-mentioned
Conference, in accordance with its purposes, will be carried out
within a well understood policy of neutrality, and that no
resolutions aimed directly or indirectly against Germany will be
adopted.
I avail myself [etc.]
