740.00111A.R.–N.C./25: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:16 p.m.]
33. Department’s circular of January 27, 3 p.m. Regarding position of the Neutrality Committee now in session at Rio the Foreign Office has furnished an expression of its views in an informal memorandum textually in translation as follows:
“The predominant idea is that the Committee on Neutrality should have sufficient influence not only vis-à-vis the neutral countries but very especially vis-à-vis the belligerents so that its resolutions or recommendations may be duly considered. So long as there be no opposition the resolutions of the committee should be applied provisionally until their ratification.”
Orally it was mentioned several times that the decisions should not have other than an ad referendum character but that subject to this limitation the Committee should have the utmost possible authority consistent with not provoking restiveness or protest from American countries not having members on it. The foregoing represents the views of Ortega and Mújica32 who is virtually the Acting Under Secretary during De la Maza’s invalidism and who was entrusted with handling the matter.
- Héctor Mújica Pumarino, Director, Diplomatic Department, Chilean Ministry for Foreign Affairs.↩