Office of the Historian

834.00/3–1847: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Paraguay

confidential
us urgent
Washington, March 19, 1947—6 p.m.

71. Urtel 121 Mar 18 noon5 Spanish text telegram from FonMin6 for Secretary reporting rebellion and characterizing it as Communist and possible threat to continent, received yesterday.

In absence specific info on question of international Communist domination Concepción movement or other significant factors threatening continental peace and security, Dept has no basis for concluding at this moment that situation calls for multilateral action. Inter-American agreements (Declaration of Lima 19387) provide that American republics coordinate their respective sovereign wills by means of consultation when peace or security any one of them threatened. Dept hopeful Paraguay by own efforts will be able to reestablish and maintain order within its boundaries. However, should it develop that situation calls for action by other American republics, proper procedure in accordance with Inter-American agreements would be for immediate consultation of all American republics with a view to determining facts, to deciding whether multilateral action advisable and, if so, agreeing what action.

Communicate above to FonMin, expressing appreciation his courtesy in telegraphing Secretary Marshall and Dept’s earnest hope for prompt settlement conflict.

Please report urgently all info bearing on question Communist domination.

This telegram being repeated to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro for info respective foreign offices, in view fact they have received similar communications from Paraguayan FonMin.

Acheson
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. Federico Chaves.↩
  3. For text, see Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Eighth International Conference of American States, Lima, Peru, December 9–27, 1938 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1941), p. 189.↩