740.00111A.R./925
The Ambassador in Venezuela (Corrigan) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 12.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my despatch No. 167 of January 213 reporting the appointment of Dr. Gustavo Herrera as the Venezuelan representative at the Inter American Neutrality Committee meeting to be held in Rio de Janeiro in a few days. In this connection during a conversation this morning the Minister for Foreign Affairs14 was kind enough to outline the preliminary instructions which have been given to Dr. Herrera for his guidance in the early discussions of the Committee.
The Minister stated that originally he had not favored the establishment of the 300-mile Security Zone until its implications had been more fully studied but that once the decision had been taken by the American Republics he felt that everything possible should be done to defend it. With respect to specific matters which should be discussed, Dr. Gil Borges mentioned especially that Dr. Herrera would raise the question of floating mines.15 He drew a sharp distinction between controlled mine fields which were sown for defensive purposes and which he considered perfectly legal, and mines which were sown at large and not controllable and would thus constitute an illegal offensive weapon of warfare and a menace to neutral shipping.
With regard to the juridical basis for the establishment of the Security Zone the Minister made a most interesting point. The neutral nations have sacrificed or voluntarily suspended many of their rights including the right of free navigation. Thus the tacit acceptance of zones of belligerency by the neutrals more than justified their setting up zones from which belligerent activities are excluded. The Minister was emphatic in stating that “if the belligerents could depart from international law and set up a zone of peril barring peaceful shipping from such areas then peace-loving nations certainly had the right to set up a zone free from the perils of war”.
Finally he referred to the fact that the possession of colonies within the Security Zone on the part of belligerent nations had been alleged to be an obstacle to making effective such a zone. He said that he did not feel that this offered a real difficulty since the principle could be clearly established between activities purely defensive in nature, such as the sending of merchant or war vessels to the colonies of belligerent [Page 262] nations, and acts which were belligerent in character. It would be quite different, in other words, were England or France to send cruisers to protect their island possessions within the Caribbean or were they to send vessels of this character for warlike acts.
Respectfully yours,