710 Consultation 4/7–1747
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Brazilian Affairs (Dawson) to the Director of the Office of American Republic Affairs (Briggs)
Mr. Wells43 informs me that he had conversations today with Ambassador Prado of Peru and Ambassador Ponce of Ecuador in which both indicated the positions of their Governments regarding Nicaraguan participation in the Rio Conference. Ambassador Prado stated that the Peruvian representative on the Governing Board of the Pan American Union had instructions from his Government to follow this Government’s lead on the consultation concerning Nicaraguan participation. Consequently, the Peruvians would appreciate it if we would let them know what our reply to the consulta would be when we had reached a decision.
The Ecuadoran Ambassador stated that the position of his Government was that no government should be invited to participate in an inter-American conference unless recognized by a majority of the other American republics.
In view of the statement of July 15 by Ambassador Cáceres to Assistant Secretary Armour that he had received instructions from the Honduran Government to cooperate with the Department’s position [Page 23] on the Nicaraguan question, it would seem that there is a considerable bloc of countries which will vote against participation by the Lacayo Sacasa régime should the Department decide on such an attitude for itself. The representatives of Guatemala, Panama, Bolivia and Venezuela have indicated in one form or another that their governments are opposed to Lacayo Sacasa participation. Mexico, while equally unfriendly to the Lacayo Sacasa régime, is in a special position because of the intricacies of trying to maintain the Estrada Doctrine.44
The Argentine opposition to a consulta of any nature, indicated by Ambassador Ivanissevitch’s44a refusal to sign the report to the Governing Board of its committee considering the Nicaraguan question, may become “contraproducente”. If Argentina carries its opposition to the consulta to the point of not replying to it, only ten votes will be necessary to form a majority against inviting the Lacayo Sacasa régime.
- Milton K. Wells, Chief, Division of North and West Coast Affairs.↩
- Doctrine concerning recognition of states, set forth by the Mexican Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1930. See Instituto Americano de Derecho y Legislación Comparada, La Opinión Universal Sobre la Doctrina Estrada (Mexico, 1931).↩
- Dr. Oscar Ivanissevich, Argentine Ambassador to the United States.↩