835.01/8–444: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 4—11:59 p.m.]
6233. Personal for the Acting Secretary. Today I had a long conference with Eden which included a discussion of the Argentine situation. He has sent a long despatch to Ronald Campbell which the latter will take up with you.66 Eden told me that since the Prime Minister and he had done their best to associate the British Government in Mr. Churchill’s statement with the position of United States Government in relation to the Argentine and since they were not returning their Ambassador he hoped very much that we would desist from open attacks on the Argentine until that Government had had time to readjust its policy. He said that while you were here he had explained to you that he wanted to do everything he could to help support our policy but that that did not mean he was “signing a blank check”.
He again cited our decision to withdraw Ambassador Armour without prior consultation with the British but with the request that they also withdraw their Ambassador on the ground of the need for common action and our action later in sending over a statement which Secretary Hull was going to make public, but on which they had not been consulted, with a further suggestion that the British make a like [Page 341] statement. In these two instances Eden felt that his Government had been faced with a fait accompli and that considering vital British interests in relation to the importation of important foodstuffs at this time and their long-term interests in the Argentine, there should be an agreed approach before decisions were taken. He was very friendly but felt that his Government should share in the decisions reached rather than being asked to comply with decisions taken.
I personally very much appreciated your message to the Prime Minister.
- See supra. ↩