740.0011 European War 1939/27413
Memorandum by the Ambassador in Chile (Bowers)4
| Conversation between: | Foreign Minister Joaquin Fernández F., |
| Ambassador Bowers, | |
| Second Secretary Lyon. |
I called on the Foreign Minister this afternoon by appointment, at 4 o’clock, and left with him a note containing the information set forth in the Department’s telegraphic instruction No. 28 of January 9, 10 p.m.5 The Minister read the note and said he found it very interesting and would take the matter up immediately with the President.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
… He explained that, while Chile had always been very courteous with her neighbour the Argentine, and he would be frank to tell me that recently Chile had invited the Argentine to go along with her in the break of relations, he did not feel that Chile could postpone assuming a new international position which was to her own interest and the interest of the other Americas. I said that I understood that when the proposal to break had been made to the Argentine, Señor Ruíz Guiñazú6 had implied that whether Chile broke or not there would be no change in the traditional Chile-Argentine relations. Señor Fernández said that this was correct, and added that he would tell me in confidence that the Argentine had made very advantageous commercial proposals to Chile, amounting, among other things, to a customs union. Moreover, the Argentine Ambassador7 had insisted that whether or not Chile broke relations with the Axis powers, these proposals stood. The Foreign Minister reiterated that he felt that whatever Chile’s own international position might be, she would continue to be friendly with the Argentine, and he was considering issuing a statement to that effect.
I then asked the Foreign Minister what progress had been made with regard to the actual break. He said that, for my strictly confidential information, there would be a meeting at 5 o’clock this afternoon of the National Defense Council, at which the President would preside and at which he would announce that it was necessary for Chile to [Page 797] break relations. “This morning there was a Cabinet meeting at which I made an exposition,” he added. It was the plan at present to have a secret meeting of the Senate next week, at which the President would inform that body through the Foreign Minister of his intention of breaking and ask for a vote on the proposition, The Foreign Minister said that the vote would undoubtedly be greatly in favor of the break. The Foreign Minister then said that they were not hurrying the procedure because they hoped that in the meantime some of the military equipment might have arrived from the United States, which would strengthen their position. He wondered whether some of the airplanes, instead of being sent down by ship, oould not be flown down. I said I did not know whether there were sufficient aviators available, to spare for this, but that I would send a telegram setting forth his views. The Foreign Minister said that he was constantly having to fight against the current against the break set in motion by his predecessor and Señor Alessandri. I said that I understood that Señor Barros Jarpa8 was still working against us. “Everywhere,” replied Señor Fernández. “Recently, in the Club, he made a joke. It was said that the United States had taken the Island of Juan Fernández, to which Señor Barros Jarpa replied, ‘Not Juan Fernández. They’ve taken Joaquin Fernández.’” The Foreign Minister said that he had replied to his informant that the Axis seemed to have got Sr. Barros Jarpa, and that was more grave, since Barros Jarpa should owe gratitude to the United States, Señor Fernández emphasized again the strong fight which Alessandri, Barros Jarpa and their friends were making against the break of relations.
- Transmitted to the Department by the Ambassador in his despatch No. 5435, January 13; received January 23.↩
- Not printed; it indicated the status of conversations being carried on by mUitary and naval experts of the United States and Chile concerning war material (825.24/773a).↩
- Argentine Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩
- Carlos Guiraldes.↩
- Former Chilean Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩