Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The American Republics, Volume VII

824.01/178: Telegram

The Ambassador in Argentina (Armour) to the Secretary of State

Buenos Aires, January 4, 1944—1 p.m.
[Received 2 p.m.]

18. Text of Argentine note extending recognition to new Bolivian regime and lengthy statements by Foreign Office justifying this action were made public last night. I understand that press associations have cabled text of note and summaries of statement. Texts and translations are being forwarded by air mail.²

Statement by Foreign Office cites assurances given by new Bolivian regime and information from Argentine Ambassador in La Paz,³ concluding that “all these elements of judgment have led inevitably to the conclusion that the new government of Bolivia enjoys the conditions required by international usage for the recognition of de facto governments, that is to say, in the internal aspect, capacity to maintain order, and in the external, the intention and promise to respect international obligations previously contracted.” Statement goes on to cite policy on recognition laid down by Thomas Jefferson in instructions to Gouverneur Morris⁴ and that enunciated by Secretary of State Buchanan in instructions to Minister Rush in Paris, quoting from Moore’s Digest.⁵ It refers also to undertakings adopted at various Pan-American conferences against interference in internal affairs of American countries, citing article 8 of Convention approved at Montevideo in 1933;⁶ article 1 of protocol approved at Buenos Aires in 1936⁷ and paragraph B of article 3 of Declaration of Principles adopted at the same conference,⁸ and the repudiation of intervention in internal affairs of any country included in Declaration of Lima in 1938.⁹ Purpose of these citations is to support thesis that failure to recognize de facto government that fulfills requirements already mentioned constitutes intervention in internal affairs of that country.

Repeated to La Paz and Montevideo.

Armour

2. Transmitted to the Department in despatch 13405, January 5, 1944, from Buenos Aires, not printed.
3. Gen. Martín Gras.
4. John Bassett Moore, A Digest of International Law, vol. i, p. 120.
5. Ibid., pp. 124–125.
6. Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, Foreign Relations, 1933, vol. iv, p. 215.
7. Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 1–23, 1936 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1937), p. 127.
8. Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 1–23, 1936 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1937), p. 228.
9. Declaration of the Principles of the Solidarity of America, approved December 24, 1938, Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Eighth International Conference of American States, Lima, Peru, December 9–27, 1938 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1941), p. 189.