710 Consultation 4/9–1647
The Ambassador in Argentina ( Bruce ) to the Secretary of State
No. 2999
Sir: I have the honor to refer to a recent series of despatches from the Embassy concerning the Rio Conference and to report that public and private statements made by Foreign Minister Bramuglia and by Ambassadors De la Rosa and Corominas upon their return from Rio also indicate Argentine satisfaction with the treaty signed there.
Ambassadors Corominas and De la Rosa made public addresses as well as press statements giving some details of the work of the Argentine Delegation at Eio. Foreign Minister Bramuglia made a long statement to the press on the same subject. In private conversations with the Ambassador and other Embassy officers all three delegates expressed great satisfaction with the results of the Conference. Since their remarks were either of a general nature or entered only into details well-known to the Department, the Embassy will not comment at greater length except to say that it believes the expressions of satisfaction to be entirely sincere.
[Page 85]Ambassador La Rosa has told an Embassy officer that the President very soon will send a special message to Congress requesting ratification of the treaty. He professed to believe that the treaty will be ratified without difficulty before the end of the congressional session on September 30. The Embassy, however, cannot share Ambassador La Rosa’s optimism concerning prompt action on ratification since the Congress has many important matters to consider in its few remaining days of session.
Of passing interest in this connection is a suit brought in a Federal Court by one Alejandro Olmos against Foreign Minister Bramuglia for “crimes against the security, peace and dignity of the nation” alleged to have been committed by signing the Inter-American Treaty of Rio. The charges are based on Article XXIX of the Argentine Constitution. Needless to say it is expected that the charges promptly will be dropped by the court. This is but another example of the propaganda efforts made by the nationalists against the treaty. The Alianza Libertadora Nacionalista recently held a public demonstration against the treaty and in its official publication Alianza prepared what must have been a long diatribe on the same subject. The newspaper failed to appear in that issue and a statement by its directors indicates that the Government forbade its publication. This would be in line with recent Government action closing a number of opposition newspapers as has already been reported to the Department in several communications from the Embassy.36
Respectfully yours,
Second Secretary of Embassy