701.6524/26
The Chargé in Bolivia (Dawson) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 28.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the penultimate paragraph of my telegram No. 190 of March 20, 12 noon [11 a.m.],55 and previous correspondence concerning the request by the Bolivian Minister of Foreign Affairs direct of the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs on March 11, 1942, that the latter exercise his good offices with the German and Italian Governments in an endeavor to obtain their consent to the exchange of their official personnel in Bolivia via the United States. It will be recalled that the Spanish Foreign Minister had not replied through March 20 and that the Bolivian Minister of Foreign Affairs had instructed the new Bolivian Minister to Spain not to present his credentials but, because of this lack of courtesy, to take up residence in Portugal pending developments.
The Bolivian Foreign Minister informed me this afternoon that he had today received a reply from the Spanish Foreign Minister stating that he agreed with him that exchange via the United States presented the best solution to the problem and that he had exercised his good [Page 339] offices with the German and Italian Governments as requested.56 The Spanish Foreign Minister explained that he had delayed his reply in the hope of having something definite to report but did not wish to delay any longer. In the same communication, the Spanish Foreign Minister agreed to take over the representation of Bolivian interests in occupied France.
The Bolivian Foreign Minister informed me that his Spanish colleague’s reply cleared up the whole misunderstanding which had arisen and that he was now instructing the Bolivian Minister-designate to Spain to present his credentials as soon as possible.
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩
- In a note from the Swiss Minister in charge of Italian interests, dated March 27, 1942, the Department was informed that the Italian Government in agreement with the German Government accepted the repatriation via United States of the Italian diplomatic missions in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador (701.6523/24).↩