840.50/2363: Telegram
The Ambassador in Colombia (Lane) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:15 p.m.]
1378. For the Secretary and Under Secretary. Reference my 1376, August 11, 11 a.m.,18 and my 1371, August 10, 11 a.m. President López said to me this afternoon that following his address to President Peñaranda, which he had hoped would elicit some enthusiasm among other American states but which had evoked no reply, he decided after the receipt of Mr. Welles’ message (see Department’s 737, June 10, 1 p.m.19) to make a concrete attempt with a view to attaining greater solidarity of the continent. He said that it had been obvious that certain countries were willing to take “this or that” step on their own in order to obtain some practical advantage for themselves. After his talks with President Medina,20 with whom he found himself to be in fundamental agreement, he decided that it was preferable for those states in the same juridical status as Colombia to unite themselves in such form as might be considered convenient, but without indicating that they would or could render any physical aid in the prosecution of the war. López observed that instead of being able to render physical aid most of them require such aid from the United States.
The President said that his aim is, as Turbay explained to me, to bring the nations together in support of the United Nations Relief [Page 47] and Rehabilitation plan and then to give them all an opportunity to discuss the matter frankly among themselves and with the Department. He said that he has not favored a joint declaration of war as such action would no doubt be misinterpreted as taking advantage of the victories of the United Nations to gain advantages for these nations. He said that as far as Colombia is concerned it is not attempting to bargain in any way and that its sole aim is to obtain greater solidarity. The purpose of the joint discussion would be as to how best to achieve that aim.
Dr. López informed me confidentially that Laureano Gomez21 has sent word to him that he will accept the presidency of the Advisory Commission for Foreign Affairs and that he entirely supports the President’s proposal to bring the other American Nations together as Turbay has explained to me. Dr. López said that if his move is successful it will result in a far stronger international cooperation on the part of Colombia with the United States and the Allied Nations, as from now on there should be no difference between the two parties on this score. (Dr. Urrutia22 subsequently informed me in the same sense but intimated that the Conservative Party might go so far as to advocate adherence to the United Nations Agreement on the part of all those American states which had not done so.)
Speaking specifically regarding the unfavorable reply from Uruguay the President said that he is disappointed that none of the replies had been enthusiastic as in [to?] point 3 of Turbay’s memorandum. He said that whether or not joint action were taken regarding adherence to the United Nations Agreement, the fact that the interested Governments should discuss with the Department “the most helpful means” by which they could contribute to closer collaboration with our cause would in itself be an effective step in the right direction.