Felipe Aja Espil

Felipe Aja Espil trained in law at the University of Buenos Aires, receiving his doctorate in 1911 and practicing before entering diplomatic service. He joined the Washington embassy as first secretary in 1919 and became counsellor in 1924. Later assignments included the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. In 1931 he returned to Washington as ambassador. ¹

Trade was a recurring part of his American work. In 1933, Espil and his predecessor Manuel Malbrán argued for admitting Patagonian mutton despite restrictions intended to prevent foot-and-mouth disease. They argued that Patagonia's geographical isolation and veterinary conditions justified treating it separately from affected parts of Argentina. Their argument concerned the legal scope of the U.S. prohibition. ²

Espil also represented Argentina at the International Labour Conference in Geneva and at the 1928 Havana conference. He was secretary-general of the 1936 Buenos Aires peace conference and attended the 1940 Havana meeting of foreign ministers. ¹

His wife, the American writer Courtney Letts Borden de Espil, left diaries covering diplomatic and social life in Washington, their return to Argentina after his recall in October 1943, and subsequent European postings. Her diaries are preserved at the Library of Congress. Her Washington friendships included the wives of Cordell Hull and Sumner Welles. ³