Office of the Historian

800.014 Antarctic/548: Telegram

The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State

Santiago, [November 7, 1940—5 p.m.]
[Received 6:55 p.m.]

265. Mora6 today handed me a note setting forth claims and expectations of Chile in the polar region saying he assumed that our position is for the purpose of heading off claims of a European character and that Chile is taking this step on the assumption that Argentina will do something of the sort. Note will be sent by pouch Sunday.7

Bowers
  1. Marcial Mora, Chilean Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩

  2. Despatch No. 957, November 9, 1940, not printed. Enclosed with the despatch was a copy of note of November 7 from the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that the Chilean Government favored the desire of the United States to study on mutually satisfactory bases the possibilities of developing and utilizing the natural resources to be found in Antarctic regions. There was also enclosed a copy of a Chilean decree of November 6, 1940, setting forth Chilean Antarctic claims as follows:

    [Translation] “Chilean Antarctica or Chilean Antarctic Territory comprises all lands, islands, keyes, reefs, ice-packs and all other discovered and to be discovered [territory] and the respective territorial sea, existing between the limits of the area falling between meridian 53° longitude west of Greenwich and 90° longitude west of Greenwich.” (800.014 Antarctic/533)

    On November 12, the Chilean Ambassador, under instructions from his Government, presented a copy of this decree to the Secretary of State (800.014 Antarctic/552).

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