710 Consultation 4/11–2344: Telegram
The Ambassador in Uruguay (Dawson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:32 p.m.]
1106. Following is close translation of confidential memorandum just delivered by Uruguayan Foreign Office.
The Government of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, having considered the request made by the Argentine Government that there be held a consultative meeting of the American Foreign Ministers as well as the very enlightened points of view [which?] in this respect have been made known to it by the Governments of Mexico, the United States of America and Panama, sets forth its opinion in the following manner:
- First. It shares the idea of holding a consultative meeting because it considers extremely useful the periodical holding of such meetings and because in view of the long period of time elapsed since the last one there have developed new and important problems of continental interest susceptible of being satisfactorily elucidated by the said procedure. Thus in its opinion the system of consultations instituted and organized by various conferences would be kept alive and fully efficacious.
- Second. Among the problems that Uruguay considers that the
said meeting should study in case it is held it points out
the following:
- I.
- Plans and projects for international organization and the establishment of a system capable of maintaining peace and security in the post war period.
- II.
- Measures for cooperation of the American States in the victory over the Axis powers in the present and definitive phase of the world conflagration.
- III.
- Forward looking norms regarding post war immigration designed to prevent the establishment in the American countries of Nazi-Fascist elements—individuals, groups, capital, et cetera—capable of constituting a danger to the democratic systems and a possibility of reaction of the systems and countries which surely will be defeated in the present war.
- IV.
- Study of a pact of mutual guarantee of the political independence and territorial integrity of the American nations,—complementary to provisions in this sense already existing in American law,—and its due coordination in the system of world security.
- In this respect the Uruguayan Government has already had occasion to state that it desires and proposes that there be expressly [Page 61] consecrated and so related as to confer maximum efficiency “the obligation to uphold even by force of arms the integrity of the rights and boundaries of the American countries attacked or menaced” to which it added that in case a nation is menaced or attacked the international organization should compel recourse to one of the pacific means of solution of conflicts and failing this defend the country attacked with the armed forces at its disposal and duly punish the aggressor.
- V.
- Establishment of an active economic cooperation among the American countries to encourage the development of their respective industries, to augment commercial interchange and to raise the living conditions of the peoples of the continent.
- Third. With regard to the request of the Argentine Republic the Government of Uruguay deems it expedient that the Government of that country be heard prior to holding the consultative meeting since, in the event of reaching a solution involving the alignment of Argentina alongside her sisters of the continent, the decisions that might be adopted at the said meeting could be based on the participation and adherence of all of the members of the Pan American Union.
In this way an opportunity would be afforded the Argentine Government to explain the orientations and acts of its foreign policy to the Foreign Ministers of the states of the continent; the situation of the said Governments with respect to the majority of the American countries would be studied and considered directly and fully; and there would be sought through effective commitments and efficacious measures the reestablishment of complete unity of thought and action of the peoples of America for the defense of the hemisphere, collective contribution in the struggle against the Axis powers, and elucidation of the political and economic problems connected with the post war [period].
From the consideration and clarification of such questions there would be derived in the judgement of Uruguayan Government results beneficial to the political and spiritual interests of the continent because the resolution that might finally be adopted whatever it might be would be based on the prestige of the very sources of its origin, the guarantees of its adoption, the procedure followed for consecrating it, and the atmosphere of full and free expression of facts, information and opinions from which would emerge its spirit and its text.
Montevideo, November 23, 1944.