722.2315/2626: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Ecuador (Long)
368. Your 486, December 2, 10 p.m. You are authorized, when your Argentine and Brazilian colleagues have received similar instructions, to join with them in stating to the Minister for Foreign Affairs that the Government of the United States would view with pleasure the inclusion of the Government of Chile among the powers whose tender of good offices has already been accepted by the Governments of Ecuador and Peru. You should make it clear that the Government of the United States for some time past has publicly announced that it would be glad to have joined with the Argentine, Brazilian and United States Governments the Governments of any or all of the other American Republics but that it believes that the question as to what powers should be associated in this tender of good offices is a matter to be determined primarily by Ecuador and Peru, the parties involved in the existing controversy. The Government of Ecuador has already made it known to this Government and to the Governments of Argentina and Brazil, through the Ambassador of Ecuador in Washington, that, should Chile be included among the list of mediatory powers, Ecuador would insist upon the additional inclusion of Mexico. In view of this prior expression of the official desires of the Government of Ecuador, it is difficult for this Government to understand the position taken by the Argentine Government in its instructions to the Argentine Minister in Quito as reported by you.
[Page 246]Instructions similar to these now being sent to you have been sent to Ambassador Norweb in Lima.
In order to avoid any confusion or misapprehension on the part of the Government of Ecuador, you should take occasion to make it known to the Minister for Foreign Affairs that this Government has already made its views known as above set forth with regard to the proposed inclusion of Chile to the Ambassador of Ecuador in Washington and that the views of the Government of Ecuador as communicated to the Ambassador of Ecuador at Washington have of course been immediately made known to the Governments of Argentina and of Brazil, as well as to this Government.