724.3415/3124
Memorandum by the Chairman of the Commission of Neutrals (White)
The Paraguayan Minister called and left with me a note97 advising the Department that Paraguay has declared war on Bolivia today. The Minister said that this would relieve me of any further care in this matter. I asked him if he meant by that that his Government [Page 320] did not desire any further peace efforts on our part. He hastily said that he did not. He went off into a long diatribe against Bolivia and said that no arbitral settlement was possible with Bolivia. He added that Argentina and Chile are very much provoked by Bolivia and her attitude.
I asked the Minister whether he had anything to suggest; if there was anything that we could do to be useful at this juncture in bringing about peace. He said that there was nothing he could suggest.
The Minister said that yesterday he had cabled his Government the invitation sent by the Neutrals to Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Peru, regarding the meeting of the nine countries to try to devise some way out. He said that he had cabled his Government asking them to urge Argentina and Chile to accept. He said that he did not see, however, what could be suggested to the combatant countries as we have already made every possible suggestion and there was no formula left to try out. I told the Minister that I was still hopeful that a peaceful solution would be found.
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