710 Consultation 4/9–847
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chairman of the United States Delegation (Marshall)
| Participants: | Secretary Marshall |
| Peruvian Foreign Minister Dr. Enrique García Sayán | |
| Assistant Secretary Armour | |
| Ambassador Dawson |
In apartment of Dr. García Sayán, Hotel Quitandinha, August 20, 1947, 1:00 p.m.
After the customary preliminary exchanges, I asked Dr. García Sayán if he had any comments or suggestions with regard to the Conference. He said that things seemed to be going satisfactorily and that in particular he believed that our proposal for making collective measures obligatory for all parties was gaining ground.
I told him that I had been discussing with another Foreign Minister the question of drawing a distinction between extra-continental and intra-continental aggression, that we do not favor such a distinction, and that in the course of the discussion I had advanced an argument which I had not yet considered with my associates. I referred to the possible case of a revolution in an American republic inspired and abetted by a non-American state.* I said that in reality this would [Page 52] constitute an extra-continental aggression and that in dealing with it considerable confusion might result if a distinction between aggression from without and aggression from within were introduced in the treaty. Dr. García Sayán seemed impressed by this argument and in general he gave no indication of favoring the distinction advocated by Venezuela. In departing, Mr. Armour handed him the text of the informal document setting forth our arguments against the distinction (based on Mr. Dreier’s memorandum of August 19—US Rio/Gen/1591).
- Note: In explaining what I had in mind I cited the case of the Japanese Ambassador’s plotting in Panama during the war—fifth column activities not only directed against the security of the Canal but even extending to attempts to stir up trouble among the Negroes in the U.S. I also mentioned the case of German and Italian fifth column activities in Brazil early in the war connected with attempts to sink Allied troop ships stopping off in Rio for water. [Footnote in the original.]↩
- Not printed.↩