710.J/1–1446: Airgram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Colombia (Wiley)
A–12. This Government has no information of any specific plans the Colombian Government may have with respect to the Ninth International Conference of American States, scheduled for Bogotá this year. The Pan American Union is likewise without information. There have been indications, however, that the Colombian Government finds itself seriously embarrassed by the lack of hotel and other accommodations to meet the needs of such a conference and that [Page 29] it is, consequently, disposed to put off the date to the extent that it can. Some concern is felt in the Department that these mere mechanical difficulties may unduly delay action to convene the conference and, perhaps, result in postponing it until next year. It was originally to have been held in Bogotá in 1943. Since there should be ample time to prepare for a conference of such magnitude, it is to be hoped that the Colombian Government will set a date and issue invitations shortly.
Please inquire what the Colombian Government plans to do and report to the Department.