710.Consultation (2)/260: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Guatemala (Cabot)
Washington, July 12,
1940—6 p.m.
57. Your 67, July 11, 3 p.m. If you have not already done so, please give the Foreign Minister a copy of my statement in this regard as quoted in Radio Bulletin No. 164, July 11.55
Hull
- The statement is as follows: “A correspondent said that there were press reports from Central America—specifically Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica—to the effect that German diplomatic representatives had warned the republics of Central America against taking any measures contrary to neutrality at the forthcoming Habana meeting of Foreign Ministers of the American Republics. The correspondent asked whether the Secretary was familiar with these warnings and whether he could comment on them. In reply, the Secretary said that he had heard something regarding despatches of this nature. He said that the Habana meeting was an inter-American conference, held by agreement among the American nations for the purpose of considering matters relating solely to themselves. The Secretary said that this was apparently a species of intimidation of nations whose sovereignty and freedom of action and integrity were entitled to the fullest regard by every other country, and he asserted that there was no theory on which any country should attack such sovereignty or freedom of action.”↩