710.Consultation (4)/9–2945
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State
| Participants: | The President |
| Ambassador Spruille Braden13 | |
| Acting Secretary, Mr. Acheson |
This evening Mr. Braden and I were received by the President. We explained to the President that we were faced with the immediate issue whether to proceed with the Rio Conference or to move for its postponement. The Rio Conference was for the purpose of working out a treaty of mutual assistance between the various states of this hemisphere including Argentina. We had spent the afternoon conferring about the matter with Mr. Hull14 and the recommendation which Mr. Braden and I made, with Mr. Hull’s approval, to the President was that we should move for the postponement of the Conference. We felt that our own position would be utterly compromised if we should sign a treaty with the Argentine Government before the situation was cleared up or that Government changed.15 We also felt that to sign such a treaty would greatly weaken the forces in Argentina opposed to the Government. Mr. Braden reviewed the situation in Argentina for the President. We recommended also that before final decision the President should talk with the Secretary of State. The President approved our recommendations and asked me to be at the White House at 9:30 to talk with the Secretary.
- Ambassador to Argentina. He was designated to be Assistant Secretary of State for American Republic Affairs, but his formal appointment dates from October 26, 1945.↩
- Former Secretary of State Cordell Hull.↩
- For documentation on problems arising in connection with recognition of the Farrell government in Argentina, see pp. 366 ff.↩