710.H Continental Solidarity/49: Telegram
The Chargé in Brazil (Scotten) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 2:48 p.m.]
282. Aranha79 showed me this morning a copy of a telegram which he had sent to Pimentel Brandão80 (which I assume you have already seen) summarizing a telegram he had received from Rodrigues Alves81 to the effect that Cantilo is planning, in his opening address at Lima,82 to oppose the idea of any collective security pact. The telegram which Aranha showed me stated that Cantilo is opposed to the Latin American Republics breaking away from Europe and relying exclusively upon the United States for protection since, as he expressed it, American foreign policy is unstable due to the possibility of changes in the internal political situation. Aranha instructed Alves to impress upon Cantilo that any such opening address could not fail to throw the Conference into complete discord at the outset as it would call for a statement of position by the other Republics and Brazil at least would be forced to take a stand diametrically in opposition to Argentina. Aranha is not certain, however, whether Cantilo received this message or what his attitude now is as the telegram was only sent to Buenos Aires on the eve of the departure of the Argentine delegation.
Aranha asked me to bring this to your attention merely to make sure that you have a clear picture of his views.
- Oswaldo Aranha, Brazilian Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩
- Mario de Pimentel Brandão, Brazilian Ambassador in the United States.↩
- José de Paula Rodrigues Alves, Brazilian Ambassador in Argentina.↩
- Address of Dr. José Maria Cantilo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Argentina, December 10, 1938, Report of the Delegation of the United States of America to the Eighth International Conference of American States, p. 88. Dr. Cantilo was not a member of the Argentine delegation but was in Lima on a special official visit from December 6 to December 12.↩