Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The American Republics, Volume VII

710 Conference W and PW/12–2144

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for the American Republics (Rockefeller) to the Secretary of State

Washington, December 21, 1944.

The Secretary: At a meeting in my office this morning at which were present: Mr. Acheson, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Clayton, Mr. Rockefeller, and Mr. Pasvolsky,³ the following decisions were reached:

1. The Conference of Governments of the American Republics that are collaborating in the war effort (which excludes Argentina) should be called as soon as agreement thereon has been reached with the other Republics.

2. Date: February 1, 1945. There is a possibility of delaying the date to February 15, 1945, if this should prove desirable.

Considerations affecting choice of date—

(a) There must be adequate time for preparation by all the American Republics.

(b) There must be ample time beween the American Republics’ meeting and the meeting of the United Nations.

3. Place.

Probably Mexico City.

4. Subject.

The agenda should stress the war and problems arising from the war and should include:

(a) Consideration of further steps to support the prosecution of the war and hasten its conclusion in final victory.

(b) Problems arising out of the war and the transition to peace:

(1) World security plans and the relation to them of the Western Hemisphere regional structure.

(2) Economic problems arising from the war.

(3) Basic economic conditions essential to a rising standard of living.

(c) Argentina’s request for a hearing.

5. In view of the above, postponement of the Technical-Economic Conference now scheduled to be called by the Pan American Union for March 15, thus eliminating the necessity for the Secretary of State to send an invitation, as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Pan American Union, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina.

3. Dean G. Acheson, James C. Dunn, William L. Clayton, and Nelson A. Rockefeller were Assistant Secretaries of State; Leo Pasvolsky was a member of the Secretary’s Staff Committee.