710.Consultation 2 (C)/70: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina ( Armour ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:38 p.m.]
1112. Before leaving Spaeth gave the following statement to the Saporiti Agency6 in response to their request and for background purposes.
“The Police Conference terminated in an atmosphere of open hostility toward the Argentines, even Chile deserting Argentina by abstaining from voting on the resolution that became the determining factor in the conversations of the last 2 days of the Conference. This resolution was number 4 Argentina’s proposal for certain amendments in the penal codes of the American countries. As you will recall the first few days of the Conference dragged along without much being accomplished when suddenly on Sunday Dr. Spaeth cleared the air by a few words and extricated the delegates from a morass of technical and philosophical considerations. At once all pretense of continental solidarity, maintained in previous inter-American conferences was abandoned and various delegates (exclusive of our own) ‘went after’ the Argentine delegation. It was plainly intimated that, had Argentina since Rio shown the slightest indication of being disposed to fulfill the promises made at the Conference of Foreign Ministers by men like Prebisch7 that short of breaking relations the Government was disposed to take all necessary steps to join in hemisphere defense, the Conference would probably have accepted Argentina’s proposal. As it was the lack of any such action could be interpreted only as bad faith and thus the delegates did interpret it. In addition the delegates of Brazil and I believe Mexico said to Frias’8 face that Argentina should not keep saying its neutrality policy is dictated by realistic and practical considerations because they felt it is dictated by fear—fear of losing a few pesos of foreign trade, fear of attack, et cetera—and frankly in these days something more is expected of a nation that thinks itself important than that fear should govern its foreign policy.
The last 2 days of the Conference were spent in this atmosphere with 19 countries against Argentine and its only ally, Chile, abstaining on important questions.”
(The Haitian and other delegates not nationals of the country they were representing apparently at times voted with their countries of birth which were Chile and Argentina, but Dr. Spaeth apparently did not consider them worth mentioning when he was discussing the continental attitude toward Argentina).
[Page 54]Apparently full unanimity at the Conference found expression only and finally in the motion of solidarity with the United States reported in my telegram No. 1108, June 11, 5 p.m.9