Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, The American Republics, Volume V

740.00111A.R./874: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil (Caffery)

Washington, December 30, 1939—3 p.m.

251. From the Under Secretary. Please tell Aranha² that I should greatly appreciate it if he would let me have confidentially his views as to the nature of the work that should be undertaken by the Permanent Neutrality Committee as soon as it convenes. The way our minds are running here is that the work of the Committee should be divided into four broad fields:

1st. To formulate recommendations when asked to do so as to the action to be taken by any American government when faced by urgent situations similar to that confronted by the Government of Uruguay 2 weeks ago.³

2d. To elaborate and clarify questions relating to the rights and obligations of the American republics as neutrals, as set forth in the General Declaration of Neutrality of the American republics as agreed upon at Panama.⁴

3rd. The formulation of recommendations to the American governments for the purpose of securing unanimous agreement on the adoption of measures to secure observance on the part of the belligerents of the provisions of the Declaration of Panama. (In this connection it would be our thought that the most urgent question to be taken up would be the determination of the measures which would make it impossible for belligerent warships, or for belligerent merchant ships, acting as auxiliaries, which violate the terms of the Declaration of Panama, to obtain fuel or supplies or other facilities in the ports of any American republic.)

4th. To act as a court which would receive evidence and reach findings as to facts in cases where alleged violation by the belligerents of the provisions of the Declaration of Panama has taken place.

Professor Fenwick⁵ is planning to leave Washington for Rio de Janeiro on January 5 and I shall greatly appreciate receiving Aranha’s views before that date.⁶ [Welles.]

Hull

2. Oswaldo Aranha, Brazilian Minister for Foreign Affairs.
3. The reference is presumably to the Graf von Spee affair; see Foreign Relations, 1939, vol. v, pp. 85 ff.
4. For text of the Declaration of Panama, see ibid., p. 36.
5. Charles G. Fenwick, U. S. representative on the Inter-American Neutrality Committee.
6. In telegram No. 1, January 1, 1940, 11 a.m., Ambassador Caffery reported that Foreign Minister Aranha agreed to paragraphs 1 and 2; reserved opinion on paragraph 3; and was opposed to paragraph 4.