710.Consultation (3)A/326: Telegram
The Chargé in Uruguay ( Dwyer ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:07 p.m.]
615. For Duggan from Spaeth. Reference Department’s cable No. 328, June 16, 1943, 5 p.m. After a full discussion with Ambassador Armour and members of his staff in Buenos Aires it is my opinion that it would not be advisable to issue a report at this time which would be expressly directed at Argentina.
It seems very unlikely, however, that the new Argentine Government will decide to break relations until they have had an opportunity to negotiate a number of matters with our Government. Since the period of negotiations might carry on for many weeks the Committee’s annual report to the Governments and to the Pan American Union would probably be indefinitely postponed if we were to proceed in accordance with the suggestion of the cable under reference.
Apart entirely from the Argentine issue, I am certain that a majority of my colleagues would be reluctant to postpone our report of year’s activities for an indefinite period. The work on the report has been under way for some time with the full cooperation of a majority of the Committee and it has been planned to publish the report before the start of the consultation on or about July 10th. Furthermore, since most of the members have been and still are strongly in favor of a direct indictment of the Argentine position, I feel that it is important that I present an alternative proposal.
I therefore recommend that the Committee issue the planned comprehensive report of its work to date and that it include a statement of the principles which have governed its action pursuant to the recommendations of the Rio Conference. In the general statement of basic principles we would include a brief reference to the relation between Resolution I and Resolution XVII and to the fact that Resolution XVII is aimed directly at the Axis. The statement would thus indirectly question the Argentine position. There would, however, be no direct analysis of the Argentine attitude through references to the consultation in Argentina or to the position taken on the Committee by Chiappe. Ambassador Armour agrees that such a general statement of basic guiding principles would not adversely affect the developing Argentine situation and might give the new Government an opportunity to distinguish its position from that of the Castillo60 administration. In the event that we proceed with this type of report I would arrange to have Armour see the text so as to guard against statements that might jeopardize developments in Argentina.
[Page 27]In order to have a basis for a future recommendation on a change of membership, I also suggest that the Committee send copies of all of the documents relating to Argentina for deposit in the Archives of the Pan American Union. I understand that a request that the documents be held by the Union will insure that their contents will be known only to the Director General and one or two other officials of the Union. We would include among these documents the report of the delegation which made the visit to Argentina as well as the minutes of Committee meetings. It is my opinion that the recommended alternative procedure will enable the Committee substantially to satisfy its responsibilities under Resolution XVII and that it will not adversely affect developments in Argentina.
I have not yet discussed the matter with Doctor Guani, because I feel that I should go to him with a concrete alternative to the report as originally planned rather than with a proposal for an indefinite postponement.
If the Department perceives no objection we will proceed to revise the report along the lines indicated above with a view to an immediate presentation to Guani. [Spaeth.]
- Ramón Castillo, former President of Argentina, who resigned June 5.↩