724.34119/721
The American Delegate (Braden) to
the Secretary of State
No. 332
Buenos
Aires, December 24, 1936.
[Received
January 4, 1937.]
Sir: I have the honor to report activity in the
Chaco negotiations in memoranda which I have delivered to Assistant
Secretary of State Welles.
I transmit herewith, as a matter of record, copies of my memoranda under
the following dates: Two of December 18, 1936. Two of December 21, 1936.
Two of December 22, 1936. Two of December 23, 1936.68
Respectfully yours,
[Page 100]
[Enclosure 1—Extract]
Memorandum by the American Delegate (Braden)
Buenos
Aires, December 21, 1936.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Several times since his arrival in Buenos Aires Castillo Nájera69 has endeavored to sound me out on the Chaco
situation. At first I spoke frankly with him but his insistence
induced me to be more reserved of late. Therefore, I was interested
on Saturday when Finot informed us that shortly after he arrived in
Buenos Aires the Mexican Ambassador suggested that his government
could bring about a final settlement of the Chaco. Finot replied
that he welcomed any assistance but first must be offered a basis
for negotiations. Castillo Nájera said he would cable to Mexico City
and obtain a satisfactory basis. As a result, on the 18th instant he
advised Finot that the Mexican government had consulted with the
Paraguayan Minister, Jover Peralta … and that Paraguay exacted as a
basis for negotiations Bolivia’s acknowledgement of Paraguayan
ownership of the entire occupied area. Finot rejected this proposal
and thus terminated the Mexican attempts at mediation.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[Enclosure 2]
Memorandum by the American Delegate (Braden)
Buenos
Aires, December 22, 1936.
Rodrigues Alves will deliver to me this morning his draft “Chaco
Resolution” for presentation at the closing session of the M. of P.
Conference on Wednesday. His draft will be revised by Nieto and by
me before presentation. Brazil undertakes to get a non-mediatory
nation, probably Panamá, to present the resolution (Cuba was not
chosen because of internal difficulties; also, Rodrigues Alves and
Macedo Soares thought that to have the Resolution signed by all
delegations would appear to be exerting too much pressure).
Macedo Soares called a joint meeting of the Bolivian and Paraguayan
delegations with the Committee of Three this morning but this idea
was abandoned since in a talk which Cruchaga and I had with Ramírez
yesterday afternoon it was evident that no useful purpose would be
served by bringing the two ex-belligerent delegations together until
we were more certain of our ground. Ramírez showed
[Page 101]
that he had not receded from his
previous intransigeant attitude despite the favorable report we had
received of his conversation with Macedo Soares on Sunday morning.
Cruchaga remarked that “he was certain Stefanich would not come to
Buenos Aires” and Ramírez concurred with him, at which point the
following dialogue took place:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
During the above conversation Cruchaga remarked that it would be a
great concession and compensation were we to obtain from Bolivia the
acceptance of a free port and the relinquishment of all idea of a
sovereign port. Ramírez replied that could not be considered as a
concession since if there were one thing upon which Paraguay was
adamant it was that Bolivia should have no port on the river and
that when he, Dr. Ramírez, had said “No” he did not know how to
express himself any more definitely on the subject.
Late yesterday afternoon when Drs. Ramírez and Soler again doubted
Stefanich coming to Buenos Aires I told them “that as a friend of
Paraguay I considered it would be regrettable were he not to make
the trip since Finot was on record as having come all the way from
Bolivia not for the M. of P. Conference but almost exclusively to
discuss the Chaco so that Stefanich’s refusal would appear in a very
unfortunate light and be interpreted in the history of the
negotiations as unwarranted intransigeance. Paraguay should not
permit such a black mark to remain on the record”.
The two Paraguayans said they had not thought of that aspect and
would communicate my thought to their Foreign Minister.
[Enclosure 3]
Memorandum by the American Delegate (Braden)
Buenos
Aires, December 22, 1936.
The Peace Conference met this morning, Saavedra Lamas presiding, with
the following delegates present: Foreign Ministers Macedo
Soares70 and
Cruchaga,71 Ruiz Moreno,72 Bunge,73 José Roberto de Macedo
Soares,74 Barros Borgoño,75 Nieto del
Río,76 Barreda Laos,77 Manini Ríos,78 Martínez
Thédy79 and myself.
[Page 102]
1. Telegrams respectively from the Argentine and Brazilian Ministers
in Asunción were read advising that Stefanich, together with his
wife and secretary, would fly to Buenos Aires tomorrow.
2. Cruchaga Tocornal made an excellent report on the Committee of
Three negotiations to date.
3. Nieto del Río stated that Ramírez had told him last night Paraguay
would be willing to consider a territorial settlement which gave
Bolivia a free port on the river, definite possession of the
territory to the north and west of the intermediary line providing
the location of that line should be altered to a position 5 kms.
east of its present position in the western Chaco, and be made to
run along the Parapiti, thus giving the Paraguayans access to the
water from that river. I pointed out that the Bolivians never would
accept a Paraguayan frontier along the Parapiti and that 5 kms. was
not a sufficient distance from the road and the projected
Argentine-Bolivian railroad, but that the new frontier should be
located at least from 50 to 100 kms. to the east of the present
intermediary line.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6. The projected “Chaco Resolution” prepared by Rodrigues Alves and
another draft I had made were discussed and merged in one; the final
form is now being polished up by Rodrigues Alves. José Roberto de
Macedo Soares for some reason insisted that Venezuela should present
this Resolution. Without making a point of it I stated that it
seemed somewhat preferable that it be done by a smaller country such
as Panamá. Later on Rodrigues Alves, who had not been at the
meeting, told me that he would endeavor to have Arias present the
proposal.
I lunched today with Manini Ríos and Martínez Thédy; among the guests
were Zubizarreta, Rivarola and General Estigarribia. The General
confirmed to me his conversation with Macedo Soares and appears
entirely reconciled to the advisability of an agreement being made
at this time, even by the Franco government.
Zubizarreta maintained the present régime did not properly represent
the Paraguayan people, therefore, any agreement entered into would
later be disauthorized. I had quite a little discussion with him but
he finally agreed that it would be perfectly all right to give
Bolivia a free port but insisted Paraguay should retain the present
occupied territory. I naturally did not mention the cash
consideration to him. Rivarola, following Zubizarreta’s lead,
reversed what he had told me last Friday with respect to the
deportees not making a political issue of the Chaco. Zubizarreta
expressed his surprise at what he characterized as “Stefanich’s
serious blunder” in coming to Buenos Aires, saying that the Foreign
Minister could not afford
[Page 103]
to go home without some sort of an agreement, and since any
agreement made would involve a sacrifice for Paraguay it would be
unsatisfactory to the mass of the people and might even involve the
fall of the Franco government.
Zubizarreta considered it unwise of the Conference to rush through an
agreement now, but did admit that it would be unpatriotic of him to
oppose a “fair” settlement even if consummated by his political
enemies.
At the request of the Bolivian delegation the Committee of Three is
meeting with them at 6:00 o’clock this afternoon.
[Enclosure 4]
Memorandum by the American Delegate (Braden)
Buenos
Aires, December 23, 1936.
Pursuant to Finot’s request for a meeting with Macedo Soares and me
we met with him, Alvéstegui, Bomero and Ostria Gutiérrez (former
Bolivian Minister in Lima, now transferred to Rio) yesterday
afternoon.
- 1.
- Finot commenced the conversation by saying that Secretary
Welles had told him that the “Chaco Resolution” would be
presented by Panamá and that I could show it to him.
Accordingly, we read to him our project of resolution which he
approved excepting for a statement in Article I: “that the six
American states had established a security system capable of
avoiding a repetition of the painful tragedy”. Previously I had
suggested the elimination of this phrase but Macedo Soares
preferred to have it remain unless the Bolivians objected. Finot
was willing to leave it in providing we added certain qualifying
expressions. We therefore compromised on its elimination and the
draft was approved by him, as per attached copy.80 Finot said this
Resolution would satisfy public opinion in Bolivia and convince
everyone that the M. of P. Conference had given adequate
consideration to the Chaco.
- 2.
- Finot inquired whether press reports were correct in saying
that Stefanich had been offered certain bases for discussion.
Macedo Soares replied that the bases established for Stefanich
comprehended a free port, Bolivian control of the road, and
absolute sovereignty north of the intermediary line—the location
of a boundary across
[Page 104]
the Chaco being left open for discussion, and that these bases
had been made as a Conference and not a Bolivian
proposal.
- 3.
- José Roberto de Macedo Soares reported that he and Bunge had
requested Arias of Panamá to submit the “Chaco Resolution”.
Arias inquired who had suggested his name and when told I had
done so was elated to learn that the suggestion originated with
the United States delegation.
- 4.
- President Justo last night made it a point to reassure me once
again that we could count absolutely upon his wholehearted
support and that we should not hesitate to call upon him in any
way that we thought he might be useful.
- 5.
- I met Stefanich at the airport today and requested him to meet
with the Committee of Three this afternoon. He apparently was
perfectly well and Lafayette reported a smooth trip, but so far
no time has been fixed, Ramírez advising that the Minister has
not recovered from his air-sickness. I made the appropriate
remarks on behalf of Secretary Hull. (Dr. and Sra. Stefanich are
at the Plaza Hotel.)
A plenary session of the Conference is scheduled for 11:30 tomorrow
in order to receive Stefanich.
P. S. The Committee of Three will meet at 9:30
a.m. tomorrow and receive Stefanich at 10:00 a.m.
