710. Consultation (3)A/138
Memorandum by the Adviser on Political Relations (Duggan) to the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
Mr. Welles: I have given considerable thought to Mr. Spaeth’s proposal that the Montevideo Committee be reorganized so as to omit Argentina.
I have been troubled by the idea of eliminating Argentina from an inter-American committee, it being my belief that we have not wanted to put Argentina beyond the pale.
I share the view expressed by Mr. Bonsai20 and Mr. Chapin that the elimination of Argentina from this Committee would irritate Argentina considerably but would not be of a sufficient jolt to move Argentina from its present position.
With Brazil in the war and Chile about to break relations it seems to me that the Committee, if there was a real desire on the part of all of the members except Argentina, should have little difficulty in securing the adoption of whatever resolutions seem desirable even though Argentina might object and append dissenting opinions. If Argentina were to continuously oppose the resolutions adopted and this information were to be circulated, I do not think that Argentina would gain thereby or that the Argentine views would affect the thought of the other countries.
- Philip W. Bonsai, Chief, Division of the American Republics.↩