Washington Recalls Its Ambassador to Argentina

In January 1944, Secretary of State Cordell Hull sought parallel representations from British, Brazilian, and Chilean diplomats to press Argentina over Axis activity. [1]

Washington ordered Ambassador Norman Armour home on 27 June 1944. He had already been instructed to avoid official relations with General Edelmiro Farrell’s government. Argentina’s neutrality in the war, and American suspicions about Axis activity there, had turned diplomatic recognition into an instrument of pressure. [3]

Argentina had broken relations with Germany and Japan in January, under Farrell’s predecessor Pedro Ramírez. That step did not satisfy Washington. Secretary of State Cordell Hull wanted action against espionage networks, clandestine communications, and financial support for the Axis; a formal break alone, he warned in his instructions, would leave the underlying problems unresolved. Farrell’s accession the following month deepened the dispute. [3] [1]

Normal relations resumed on 9 April 1945, following Argentina’s declaration of war on the Axis and consultations among the American republics. Secretary of State Edward Stettinius announced the decision in Washington. Argentina had signed the final act of the Mexico City conference five days earlier; the United States and the other American governments now accepted Farrell’s government. [2] [4] [5]

Stettinius instructed American envoys to inform their host governments of the agreed restoration but to withhold publicity until a fixed hour in Washington. In Buenos Aires, the chargé would acknowledge the earlier notification of Farrell's accession. [2]

Related Diplomats

1. Adrián César Escobar [6]
2. Rodolfo García Arias [7] [8] [9]

Related Reading

• Argentina and the United States