Office of the Historian

724.3415/4172: Telegram

The Ambassador in Argentina (Weddell) to the Secretary of State

Buenos Aires, September 24, 1934—3 p.m.
[Received 6:20 p.m.]

167. I saw the Minister for Foreign Affairs Saturday noon and communicated to him the contents of the Department’s 111, September 18, 6 p.m. He expressed himself as entirely appreciative of the Department’s viewpoint. He sent me last night a memorandum containing his views on the situation, the essential features of which are as follows:

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  • “1. Having informed the League of its plan, Argentina’s attitude now is one of waiting.
  • 2. Argentina does not feel bound in any way by the above action nor through any stipulation of the League Covenant, to limit itself in following the shortest and most effective way toward peace in the Chaco.
  • 3. With regard to the League and the countries exercising their good offices, Argentina suggests two ways of ending the conflict: (1) to have the League appoint a conciliatory commission as some of its members seem to be inclined to do; (2) to have the League declare its decision to abstain for a time in order to allow the countries that are exercising their good offices to continue to do so with the understanding that should these negotiations prove ineffectual after a certain period the League would resume its own action.
  • 4. Should the League adopt the first proposition and include Argentina on the commission Argentina will consult the American countries with which it shared the exercise of good offices as to the line of action to be followed.
  • 5. Should the League abstain permitting the American countries to act it would be advisable to bring about direct conversations between the belligerents under the auspices of the mediators or from now on to include their action with that of the nine countries. This requires preliminary discussions before invitations are extended to them for the reason that in the prevailing opinion the opportune time has not arrived due to the military illusions of the belligerents.”

The memorandum concludes with the declaration that the Argentine Chancellery has an open mind to receive whatever line of argument the United States or Brazil may care to submit, with which countries’ heads it intends to continue the joint action and is disposed to continue it conjointly and preferably.

I am sending full Spanish text by air mail tomorrow.

Weddell