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103-770: The Dumbarton Oaks Conference constituted the first important step taken to carry out paragraph 4 of the Moscow Declaration of 1943 , which recognized the need for a postwar international organization to succeed the League of Nations . At the conference, delegations from the Four Policemen , China , the Soviet Union , the United States , and the United Kingdom , deliberated over proposals for

206-601: A German invasion was only a potential risk, whereas British dominance of the Argentine economy was a reality. A diplomatic mission by the British Lord Willingdon arranged commercial treaties whereby Argentina sent thousands of cattle to Britain at no charge, decorated with the Argentine colours and with the phrase "good luck" written on them. El Pampero and FORJA criticised this arrangement, with Arturo Jauretche and Homero Manzi proclaiming "these are

309-549: A Moscow-friendly régime were generally countries that had collaborated with the Axis and, as such, they were not allowed to join the UN immediately. Lastly, the seemingly extravagant character of this Soviet demand intended to make clear that any International Organization willing to manage the new world without the USSR being treated equally was condemned to fail. This led to the admission of

412-415: A challenging and controversial re-election campaign for an unprecedented third term in office . To make things worse, on 12 May 1940, the Argentine proposal was leaked to the press, and was published nationwide by Argentine daily newspaper La Nación , leading to much confusion in the country, and outrage among nationalist groups, who demanded Ortiz's resignation. On 13 May, the Argentine government issued

515-587: A clean fashion, giving the opposition UCR a majority in Congress. This policy of democratic restoration would soon put the administration of Ortiz at odds with the more conservative factions of his own ruling Concordancia party, including conservative vice-president Ramón Castillo. The opposition Radical Civic Union , in turn, was divided between FORJA, a political grouping that consisted of hardline supporters of deposed UCR president Hipólito Yrigoyen (who died in 1933) and opposed any form of cooperation with

618-456: A communique acknowledging the existence of the proposal, and on 18 May another communique was issued, clarifying that Argentina would continue to observe the "most strict neutrality" in the conflict. The leak of this proposal at an early stage of the conflict, together with the perceived diplomatic snub, severely weakened the position of the Ortiz administration and of pro- Allied factions within

721-474: A dinner with Rockefeller, Dulles said: "I owe you an apology. If you fellows hadn't done it, we might never have had NATO." The stated purposes of the proposed international organization were: On October 7, 1944, the delegates agreed on a tentative set of proposals ( Proposals for the Establishment of a General International Organization ) to meet these goals. The discussions at the conference regarding

824-532: A handful of military leaders actually supported Adolf Hitler , and pro-Axis positions were a minority, their true influence inside the army remains difficult to ascertain, as their advocates generally disguised themselves and adopted nationalist arguments. Meanwhile, the Communist Party aligned itself with the diplomatic policies of the Soviet Union. As a result, it supported neutrality and opposed

927-751: A newly created conservative party known as Concordancia , which was born as an alliance between the National Democratic Party , dissident sectors of the Radical Civic Union that had opposed Hipólito Yrigoyen , and the Independent Socialist Party . Still reeling from the aftermath of the Great Depression , the government of Agustín P. Justo at first undertook fiscally conservative economic policies, reducing public expenditure and restricting

1030-564: A number of interpretations for his reasons for staying neutral. One such perspective focuses on the Argentine tradition of neutrality. Others see Castillo as a nationalist, not being influenced by the power structure in Buenos Aires (since he was from Catamarca ), so that, with the support of the army, he could simply defy the pressure to join the Allies. A similar interpretation considers instead that Castillo simply had no power to go against

1133-522: A peace deal, thus winning the 1936 Nobel Peace Prize . In the aftermath of the 1930 military coup and the subsequent accusations of electoral fraud against Justo, political tensions in Argentina would remain high throughout the 1930s. On 5 April 1931, supporters of deposed president Yrigoyen won the elections for governor in the Province of Buenos Aires , but the government of Uriburu declared

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1236-563: A process of import substitution industrialization , which had some antecedents during the Great Depression. This led to a process of internal migration as well, with people living in the countryside or in small villages moving to urban centers. At the beginning of the Second World War on 1 September 1939, the Argentine government proclaimed its neutrality in the conflict. On 3 September, the diplomatic representatives of

1339-642: A scholarly research institute and museum in Byzantine studies, was instrumental in arranging for these meetings. Already in June 1942, on behalf of the director, John S. Thacher, and the Trustees for Harvard University, he had offered to place the facilities of Dumbarton Oaks at the disposal of Secretary Hull. When, in June 1944, the State Department found that Dumbarton Oaks could "comfortably accommodate"

1442-489: A secret organization called the United Officers' Group (GOU) to oust Castillo from power. Future president Juan Perón was a member of this group but did not support an early coup, recommending instead to postpone the overthrowing of the government until the plotters had developed a plan to make necessary reforms. The coup was to take place close to the elections, should the electoral fraud have been confirmed, but it

1545-779: A special commission integrated by representatives from each ministry, housed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chaired by a delegate from this ministry. On 13 December 1939, the Battle of the River Plate took place. During this battle, the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was severely damaged by British ships on the waters of the River Plate estuary. Cornered, the German captain Hans Langsdorff ordered

1648-571: A team of negotiators to London. As a result of these negotiations, on 1 May 1933, the bilateral treaty known as the Roca-Runciman Treaty was signed between Argentina and the United Kingdom, which guaranteed Argentina a beef export quota that was equivalent to the levels sold in 1932, in exchange for Argentina reducing tariffs on almost 350 British goods to 1930 rates and to refrain from imposing duties on coal, strengthening

1751-654: A thousand people being detained. Seriously ill, Yrigoyen was returned to Buenos Aires and kept under house arrest. He died on 3 June, and his burial in La Recoleta Cemetery was the occasion of a mass demonstration. In December, during a meeting of the national convention of the UCR , a joint uprising by the military and politicians broke loose in Santa Fe , Rosario , and Paso de los Libres . José Benjamin Abalos, who

1854-530: Is considered the end of the Infamous Decade and the starting point of the self-styled Revolution of '43 . Arturo Rawson took power as de facto president. The nature of the coup was confusing during its first days: German embassy officials burned their documentation fearing a pro-Allied coup, while the United States embassy considered it a pro-Axis coup. Rawson met with a delegate from

1957-696: Is said to have claimed that Buenos Aires could be completely destroyed by the Brazilian Air Force, allowing Argentina to be dominated without the open intervention of the United States, who would support Brazil by providing ships and bombs. The Liberation of Paris in August 1944 gave new hopes to the pro-Allied factions in Argentina, who saw it as an omen of the possible fall of the Argentine government and called for new elections. The demonstrations in support of Paris soon turned into protests against

2060-584: The European Allies . In April 1940, Foreign Affairs Minister Cantilo made a visit to United States ambassador Normal Armour , presenting the Argentine proposal for the United States, Argentina and other Latin American states to join the war together as non-belligerent parties. However, the Argentine proposal suffered from bad timing, as then U.S. President, Franklin Roosevelt , was in the midst of

2163-645: The Falkland Islands , but was never put into operation. On the other hand, the newspaper El Pampero , financed by the German embassy, actively supported Hitler. Within the Argentine Army , Germanophile sentiments were strong among many officers, an influence that predated both world wars, having been steadily growing since 1904. Generally, it did not involve a rejection of democracy but rather an admiration of German military history , which combined with an intense Argentine nationalism influenced

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2266-571: The UCR party, vowing that the UCR would once again take part in elections and to continue the fight against fraudulent practices. That same year, once again amid accusations of fraud, the Justo administration managed to secure the victory of its candidate Manuel Fresco for governor of the Province of Buenos Aires , but it could not avoid the UCR victory of Amadeo Sabattini for governor in Córdoba , despite bloody incidents that aimed at disrupting

2369-667: The end of World War II in Europe , two German U-boats, U-977 and U-530 (then sailing in Europe), decided to flee to Argentina rather than surrender to the Allies. The subs reached Mar del Plata , Buenos Aires Province respectively on 17 August 1945 and 10 July 1945, and Argentina quickly handed them over to the American military after first summoning US and British Royal Navy experts for interrogating them and examining their logs. During World War II, 4,000 Argentines served with all three British armed services , even though Argentina

2472-581: The 1920s and 1930s, had taken measures to protect the meat supply market in the Commonwealth . At the 1932 Imperial Conference negotiations in Ottawa , bowing to pressure, mainly from Australia and South Africa, Britain had decided to severely curtail imports of Argentine beef . The plan provoked an immediate outcry in Buenos Aires , and the Argentine government dispatched Vice-president Roca and

2575-478: The Allies to generate a continent-wide resistance to the Axis . But the government of Castillo, through foreign minister Enrique Ruiz Guiñazu , opposed the American proposal. From that moment onwards, relations between both countries worsened, and American pressure for Argentine entry into the war began to increase. Castillo did, however, declare a state of emergency after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Castillo's term

2678-454: The Allies' pressure, broke relations with the Axis powers on 26 January 1944, and declared war on 27 March 1945. In 1916, following the enactment of universal and secret male suffrage by conservative president Roque Saenz Peña , the voting franchise was expanded, and electoral transparency improved, leading to the first truly free presidential elections in the country. As a result of these electoral changes, Hipólito Yrigoyen , leader of

2781-566: The Argentine government, intensifying nationalist sentiment and opposition to Ortiz in military circles. From the beginning of his administration, Ortiz had been suffering from diabetes, and his health continued to deteriorate throughout his presidency. By 3 July 1940, after only two years in office, Ortiz had lost much of his eyesight , and thus he requested a temporary leave of absence from his duties as president, being replaced by conservative Vice-president Ramón S. Castillo , who became acting president. During Castillo's tenure, stances towards

2884-510: The Axis powers were blacklisted and boycotted, and the supply of newsprint was limited to pro-Allied newspapers. American exports of electronic appliances, chemical substances and oil production infrastructure were halted. The properties of forty-four Argentine companies were seized, and scheduled loans were halted. Hull wanted to weaken the Argentine government or force its resignation. Torn between diplomatic and economic pressure as opposed to an open declaration of war against Argentina, he opted for

2987-474: The British embassy on 5 June and promised to break relations with the Axis powers and declare war within 72 hours. This turn of events enraged the United Officers' Group , as did Rawson's choices for his cabinet. A new coup took place, replacing Rawson with Pedro Pablo Ramírez . Thus, Rawson became the shortest non-interim president in Argentine history. One of the first measures of the new Ramírez government

3090-591: The British influence in Argentina during the early stages of the war, in line with the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union . The launching of Operation Barbarossa and the consequent Soviet entry in the war changed that attitude. Some Trotskyists promoted the fight against the Third Reich as an early step of an international class struggle . As for the Castillo administration, there are

3193-491: The Chinese. In the first phase, representatives of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States convened between August 21 and September 28. In the second, representatives of Republic of China, the United Kingdom, and the United States held discussions between September 29 and October 7. Robert Woods Bliss , who with his wife, Mildred Barnes Bliss , gave Dumbarton Oaks to Harvard University in 1940 to establish

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3296-586: The Communist Party to Perón and the new government. As a result, the Communist Party turned against the government, which it viewed as pro-Nazi. Perón countered complaints by declaring that "The excuses they seek are very well known. They say we are 'nazis', I declare we are as far from Nazism as from any other foreign ideology. We are only Argentines and want, above all, the common good for Argentines. We do not want any more electoral fraud , nor more lies. We do not want that those who do not work live from those who do". The government held diplomatic discussions with

3399-472: The Diamond Horseshoe nightclub and cocktails with Nelson Rockefeller . Meanwhile, in the city Hollywood movies were shown daily for free. Then, ‘the cavalcade arrived at Stettinius’s home, Horseshoe, where the party ate a buffet supper and were entertained by a negro quartet singing spirituals’." Two issues were central in the conference's proceedings: The first issue was about the position that

3502-547: The FORJA faction led by Dellepiane and Del Mazo had drifted away from the organization and rejoined the UCR , while FORJA itself adopted more nationalistic and left-wing ideas , under the leadership of Arturo Jauretche . Nationalistic sectors of the army also promoted neutrality as a way to oppose the United Kingdom and its economic influence. Notably during this time, a plan was made by the Naval War College to invade

3605-667: The Four Nations The Declaration of the Four Nations on General Security , or Four Power Declaration , was signed on 30 October 1943, at the Moscow Conference by the Big Four : the United States , the United Kingdom , the Soviet Union , and China . The declaration formally established the four-power framework that would later influence the international order of the postwar world. It

3708-668: The General Assembly members were Western countries or Western-friendly. These attempts to undermine what had been agreed in Yalta were firmly rejected by the Soviet Union. It took the conference at Yalta , plus further negotiations with Moscow, before these issues were solved. Also at Yalta, a trusteeship system was proposed to take the place of the League of Nations mandate system. At the United Nations Conference on International Organization , also known as

3811-785: The Junta Nacional de Carnes ( National Meat Board ), and, in 1935, creation of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic , under the advice of economist Otto Niemeyer . In foreign policy, the most pressing issue of the Justo administration was the restoration of international trade, which had collapsed following the Great Depression . As a byproduct of Black Tuesday and the Wall Street Crash of 1929 , Great Britain, principal economic partner of Argentina in

3914-579: The Ministry of War, fostered better relations between the state and the unions. As previously discussed, the Communist Party had aligned itself with the diplomatic policies of the Soviet Union. Following the launching of Operation Barbarossa and the consequent Soviet entry in the war, the Communists became pro-war and halted its support for further labour strikes against British factories located in Argentina. This switch redirected workers' support from

4017-488: The Ortiz government concluded that the worldwide nature of the conflict would eventually make neutrality untenable and impossible to maintain. Thus, Minister of Foreign Affairs José Maria Cantilo was tasked with drafting a proposal, under which Argentina, together with the United States and eventually other Latin American states, would join the Allies as "non-belligerent" states, offering economic and diplomatic support to

4120-926: The San Francisco Conference, in April–June 1945, the Security Council veto powers were established and the text of the United Nations Charter was finalized. It was also at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference that the five permanent seats were assigned to the US, USSR, UK, France and China, with the Soviets dropping their opposition to French membership and the others rejecting the US proposal for Brazilian membership. Notes Further reading Declaration of

4223-645: The Security Council and the Soviet pressure for the admission of all sixteen of the Soviet republics to the General Assembly. There were a few reasons for that. First, the Western countries had an irreversible majority, including due to the countries of the Commonwealth such as Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This would lead to a de facto inability of the USSR to influence the decision making. Second, countries of Eastern Europe that were switching to

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4326-433: The Soviet Union would have within the emergent organization, as Franklin D. Roosevelt 's original idea was designed to encompass American global power. The second concerned the veto powers of the permanent members of the Security Council. "Stalin dropped opposition to the American version of the veto with a wave of his hand, dismissing it as an insignificant matter.... He was quite prepared to sacrifice any independent stake in

4429-772: The UN. Rockefeller had the Latin American delegations on his side, a relationship that angered Nicolo Tucci, the head of the Bureau of Latin American Research in the US State Department, who resigned, declaring that ‘my bureau was supposed to undo the Nazi and Fascist propaganda in South America but Rockefeller is inviting the worst fascists and Nazis to Washington. While Washington was aiming at

4532-413: The Ukrainian and the Belarusian SSRs as full members of the UN and prompted Roosevelt to accept in Yalta the right of veto at the Security Council. Later, under Truman, Western countries tried to transfer to the General Assembly decision-making competences on security matters in order to circumvent the Soviet veto in the Security Council, given that in the early years of the UN, the overwhelming majority of

4635-420: The United Kingdom and France informed the Argentine government that their countries had entered a state of war against Nazi Germany . Following the initial policies of other states in the Americas, the Ortiz government issued a decree on 4 September 1939, declaring Argentine neutrality in the conflict. To enforce the observance of neutrality, on 14 September 1939, Ortiz issued a second presidential decree, creating

4738-441: The United States itself or Brazil acting on their behalf. However, it would be unlikely that Germany would provide such weapons, given their fragile situation in 1944. Ramírez called a new meeting of the GOU, and it was agreed to break diplomatic relations with the Axis powers (albeit without yet a declaration of war) on 26 January 1944. The break in relations generated unrest within the military, and Ramírez considered removing both

4841-463: The United States, with Argentina requesting aircraft, fuel, ships and military hardware. The Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs Segundo Storni argued that, although Argentina refrained from participating in the war, it remained closer to the Allies, sending them food, and that up to then the Axis powers had not taken action against the country to justify a declaration of war. The United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull replied that Argentina

4944-497: The beginning of what would be later called the Infamous Decade in Argentina. Supported by nationalistic sectors of the military , Uriburu tried to implement major changes to Argentine politics and government, banning political parties, suspending elections, and suspending the 1853 Constitution , with the aim to reorganizing Argentina along corporatist and fascist lines. However, Uriburu's policies would face widespread opposition from civil society and from conservative factions of

5047-417: The centrist Radical Civic Union (UCR), was elected President of Argentina . Under the successive administrations of presidents Hipólito Yrigoyen (1916–1922) and Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear (1922–1928), Argentina continued the trend of strong economic growth and democratic consolidation that had begun under previous administrations, matching countries such as Canada or Australia in per capita income, while

5150-408: The circulation of currency in an attempt to strengthen the public coffers. However, as in other countries during this period, Keynesian ideas were eventually implemented, and more emphasis was placed on public works and infrastructure, resulting in the creation of the National Office of Public Highways, expansion of the road network, creation of the Junta Nacional de Granos ( National Grain Board ) and

5253-446: The city: "The military man in charge of the San Francisco eavesdropping and codebreaking operation indicated his own sense of accomplishment: 'Pressure of work has at last abated and the 24-hour day has shortened. The feeling in the Branch is that the success of the Conference may owe a great deal to its contribution'." Robert Hilderbrand depicts the atmosphere around the conference and how Stettinius took British and Soviet negotiators to

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5356-429: The commercial ties between Argentina and Britain and ensuring a trade surplus during the turmoil of the Great Depression , but drawing ire from nationalistic sectors and several opposition senators, including the denunciations of liberal Senator Lisandro de la Torre , who claimed that Britain received the most benefits from the treaty. Ratified by the Argentine Senate , the Roca-Runciman Treaty lasted three years and

5459-554: The construction of the UN, clinging to the belief that veto powers would neutralize any danger from it. Schlesinger noted that although Nelson Rockefeller did not have an official role in the conference, he asked the FBI that he would be the one who passed reports to Stettinius. The FBI indeed passed all reports to Rockefeller. Schlesinger also explains how the UN logo was designed in a way to exclude Argentina for its friendship with Nazi Germany. Rockefeller insisted that Argentina, despite its pro-fascist government , must be allowed to join

5562-483: The country than his own idealistic perspective of keeping a neutral stance to the end of the war. A few days later, on 10 April, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and the other Latin American countries restored diplomatic relations with Argentina. Still, diplomatic hostility against Argentina from the United States resurfaced after the unexpected death of Roosevelt, who was succeeded by Harry S. Truman . Ambassador Spruille Braden would organize opposition to

5665-424: The country, and organized political meetings and protests, propaganda posters, leaflets, and even direct actions attempting to expose Nazi activity in the country. On the side of those opposing entry into the war, FORJA was the only political party that supported neutrality throughout the war, seeing it as an opportunity to get rid of what they considered British meddling with the Argentine economy. Starting in 1940,

5768-405: The creation of a world body, Rockefeller was pressuring the conference to accept the Chapultepec Pact . Despite the opposition of Stettinius and John Foster Dulles , Rockefeller won the battle in the conference. There was an agreement to include some words in Article 51 of the Charter that allow "individual or collective self-defense" at a regional level. A few years later, Schlesinger documents, at

5871-416: The declaration was only an interim agreement. Churchill and Roosevelt reached a consensus that the declaration should be given high priority at the Moscow Conference, but Stalin wanted the conference to focus on the ongoing war against Germany. The Soviets also objected to the inclusion of the Republic of China as the fourth Great Power of the declaration, officially on the grounds that the Moscow Conference

5974-435: The delegates and that "the environment [was] ideal," the offer was renewed by James B. Conant , the president of Harvard University, in a letter of June 30, 1944. In Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations Stephen Schlesinger has provided a graphic account of the complete American control of the conference, including US military intelligence of cable traffic to the delegates and FBI watch of their movements in

6077-416: The election. Meanwhile, the province of Santa Fe , under the leadership of opposition Democratic Progressive Party governor Luciano Molinas, was the subject of a federal intervention by the national government. In 1937, presidential elections were to be held. Alvear , together with his running mate Enrique Mosca campaigned across the country, vowing that "not even fraud could defeat them". Meanwhile,

6180-412: The elections invalid. On December, facing uprisings by UCR supporters, Justo decreed a state of siege, and again imprisoned the old Yrigoyen , as well as Alvear , Ricardo Rojas , Honorio Pueyrredón , and other leading figures of the party. In 1933, attempted revolts continued. Buenos Aires , Corrientes , Entre Ríos , and Misiones would be the stage of UCR uprisings, which ended with more than

6283-598: The end of the war would force the country into isolationism at best or bring about a military attack from the soon to be victorious powers. Negotiations were eased by the departure of Hull as Secretary of State, replaced by Edward Stettinius Jr. , who demanded that Argentina hold free elections, declare war against the Axis powers, eradicate all Nazi presence in the country and give its complete cooperation to international organizations. Perón agreed, and German organizations were curtailed, pro-Nazi manifestations were banned, and German goods were seized. The Argentine merchant navy

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6386-442: The establishment of an organization to maintain peace and security in the world. Among the representatives were the British Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Alexander Cadogan ; Soviet Ambassador to the United States Andrei Gromyko ; Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Wellington Koo ; and U.S. Under-Secretary of State Edward Stettinius Jr. , each of whom chaired his respective delegation. (When Cadogan

6489-438: The former to avoid disrupting the supply of food to Britain. Nevertheless, he also saw the situation as a chance for the United States to have a greater influence over Argentina than Britain. The United States also threatened to accuse Argentina of being involved with the coup of Gualberto Villarroel in Bolivia, and a plot to receive weapons from Germany after the allied refusal, to face the possible threat of invasion either by

6592-399: The goods that are not being sent to our needy compatriots in the provinces". The situation changed dramatically after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent American declaration of war upon Japan . During the Third Consultation Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Americas ( 1942 Rio Conference ), the United States of America tried to get every Latin American country to join

6695-428: The government enacted social and economic reforms and extended assistance to small farms and businesses. However, beginning in 1928, the second administration of Hipólito Yrigoyen would face a crippling economic crisis, precipitated by the Great Depression . In 1930, Yrigoyen was ousted from power by the military led by José Félix Uriburu , in what became the first military coup in modern Argentine history, marking

6798-459: The government of Farrell and Perón. The final Axis defeat in the European Theatre of World War II took place a month later and was greeted with demonstrations of joy in Buenos Aires. Similar demonstrations took place in August, after the surrender of Japan , bringing World War II to its final end. Farrell lifted the state of emergency declared by Castillo after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. In early May 1945, amid Germany's surrender at

6901-406: The government's change of position a year later. Jauretche reasoned that the United States opposed Argentina because of its perceived Nazism by refusing to declare war although neutrality was based instead on Argentine interests; which were no longer at stake with a declaration of war when the country would not actually join the conflict. Jauretche came to believe that Perón's pragmatism was better for

7004-406: The government, and the majoritarian faction of the UCR under the official leadership of Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear , who, while also remaining in opposition to the government, soon adopted a more conciliary tone to the Ortiz administration as a result of these changes. The two other major parties, the Socialist Party and the liberal Democratic Progressive Party would also remain in opposition to

7107-452: The government, leading to incidents with the police. It was rumored that some Argentine politicians in Uruguay would create a government in exile , but the project never came to fruition. President Franklin Roosevelt supported Hull's claims about Argentina with similar statements. He also cited Churchill when he stated that history would judge all nations for their role in the war, both belligerents and neutrals. By early 1945, World War II

7210-434: The government. Meanwhile, the Communist Party , also staunchly opposed to the government, initially followed a policy of courting the trade unions, and gave priority to supporting the international stance of the Soviet Union . Economically, recovery from the Great Depression had been underway since 1933, but the beginning of the war resulted in changes to the Argentine economy, as imports from Europe were reduced. Thus began

7313-426: The influential Farrell and Perón from the government. However, their faction discovered Ramírez's plan. They broke up the United Officers' Group , to avoid letting the military loyal to Ramírez know they were aware of his plot, and then initiated a coup against him. Edelmiro Julián Farrell became then the new president of Argentina on 24 February. The United States refused to recognise Farrell as long as he maintained

7416-502: The kind gesture of support from President Roosevelt who sent one of the best ophthalmologists from the United States to provide treatment as well, Ortiz's health got progressively worse, until he finally lost his eyesight completely. On 27 June 1942 he would present his full resignation to the presidency, and vice-president Castillo took office as president to fulfill the remaining two years of his mandate. Only 18 days after his resignation, Ortiz died. Meanwhile, among civil society and

7519-517: The main political parties, support for Argentine intervention on the Allied side continued to grow and became widespread as the war progressed. The main pro-Allied advocacy organization was Acción Argentina , founded on 5 June 1940, from a proposal of the Socialist Party . The initial manifesto of Acción Argentina was drafted by former president Marcelo T. de Alvear , and leading members of

7622-545: The main stance of the army towards the war: maintaining neutrality . The arguments in favor ranged from support for the Argentine military tradition (as the country had been neutral during both World War I and the War of the Pacific ), to a rejection of foreign attempts to coerce Argentina into joining a war perceived as a conflict between foreign countries with no Argentine interests at stake, to outright Anglophobia . Though only

7725-611: The make-up of the United Nations included which states would be invited to become members, the formation of the United Nations Security Council , and the right of veto that would be given to permanent members of the Security Council . Charles E. Bohlen writes that the Dumbarton Oaks Conference "settled all but two issues regarding the organization of the United Nations—the voting procedure in

7828-463: The military, and only a year later, in 1931, he was forced to step down. Thus, in November 1931, the military government called for elections, but only after banning UCR candidates and organizing a system that was broadly recognized as fraudulent . It was under these conditions that General Agustín P. Justo was elected president. Elected on 8 November 1931, Agustín P. Justo was supported by

7931-452: The neutralist policy, which was ratified by Farrell on 2 March, and the United States broke relations with Argentina two days later. Winston Churchill complained about the harsh policy of the United States against Argentina, pointing out that Argentine supplies were vital to the British war effort and that removing their diplomatic presence from the country would even force Argentina to seek Axis protection. British diplomacy sought to guarantee

8034-497: The opposite way that these had been used under Justo , intervening those provinces where governors had won by proven fraud (namely San Juan , Santiago del Estero , Catamarca and Buenos Aires ), while respecting the results and autonomy in those provinces with no irregularities, including those where elections had been won by the opposition UCR , such as the cases of Tucumán (October 1938 and March 1939) as well as Córdoba (March 1940). In 1940, legislative elections were held in

8137-490: The organization included major intellectuals, journalists, artists and politicians from a wide ideological spectrum, among them Alicia Moreau de Justo , Américo Ghioldi , José Aguirre Cámara, Mauricio Yadarola, Rodolfo Fitte, Rafael Pividal, Raúl C. Monsegur, Federico Pinedo, Jorge Bullrich, Alejandro Ceballos, Julio A. Noble, Victoria Ocampo , Emilio Ravignani , Nicolás Repetto , Mariano Villar Sáenz Peña and Juan Valmaggia. The organization grew to encompass 300 chapters across

8240-501: The policy of neutrality had ensured the food supply of Britain during World War I against the German U-boat campaign . At the same time, British influence over the Argentine economy was resented by nationalistic groups, while German and Italian influence in Argentina was strong and growing mainly due to increased interwar trade and investment, and the presence of numerous immigrants from both countries, which, together with

8343-417: The potentially-controversial establishment of a permanent peacekeeping force after the war. Instead, its stated aim was simply the creation "at the earliest possible date of a general international organization." Roosevelt discussed the proposal with Churchill and Anthony Eden when they met at Quebec. Roosevelt stressed that the declaration would "in no way prejudice final decisions as to world order" and that

8446-405: The principle sovereign equality of all nations.” The declaration was drafted by US State Department advisers such Sumner Welles . Hull presented it to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 10 August. Their proposal eschewed the regional councils, preferred by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill , in favour of establishing an international postwar organization. It omitted any discussion of

8549-469: The refusal to break relations with the Axis as the war progressed, furthered the belief that the Argentine government was sympathetic to the German cause. Because of strong divisions and internal disputes between members of the Argentine military , Argentina remained neutral for most of World War II, despite pressure from the United States to join the Allies . However, Argentina eventually gave in to

8652-562: The ruling Concordancia party, nominated lawyer Roberto M. Ortiz , from the dissident anti-Yrigoyen UCR faction, as presidential candidate, with conservative lawmaker Ramón Castillo , as his running mate. The 1937 presidential elections were held in September. Completely flouting on his promise, Justo kept his political and security forces busy on election day. Amid widespread reports of intimidation, ballot stuffing and voter roll tampering (whereby, according to one observer, "democracy

8755-466: The scuttling of the ship, while the crew were taken under custody and interned by Uruguayan and Argentine authorities. While under custody, Hans Langsdorff later committed suicide at the Immigrant's Hotel in Buenos Aires, while the crew was eventually released, a dozen of them taking residence in Argentina and Uruguay . In December 1939, partly as a consequence of the Battle of the River Plate ,

8858-597: The supply of Argentine food by signing a treaty covering it, while US diplomatic policy sought to prevent such a treaty. Hull ordered the confiscation of Argentine goods in the United States, suspension of foreign trade with her, prohibited US ships from mooring at Argentine ports, and denounced Argentina as the "nazi headquarters in the Western hemisphere". According to historian Norberto Galasso , at this point Washington held talks with Brazil, exploring plans for military intervention. The Brazilian ambassador in Washington

8961-457: The war became more complex as the conflict developed. The main political parties, newspapers and intellectuals supported the Allies, yet Castillo maintained neutrality. Meanwhile, Ortiz was in leave of absence and unable to serve as president, but he did not resign from office. The position of Argentina vis-à-vis the war generated disputes between them, with Castillo often prevailing. Despite several treatments from Argentine ophthalmologists , and

9064-481: The wishes of the army, and if he declared war he would be deposed in a military coup . A third point of view considers that the United States was the sole promoter of Argentina's entry into the war, whereas the United Kingdom benefited from Argentine neutrality as it was a major supplier of beef and wheat. This, however, fails to acknowledge the Anglophile factions' constant requests to declare war. Most likely, it

9167-528: Was one of four declarations signed at the conference; the others were the Declaration on Italy, the Declaration on Austria, and the Declaration on German Atrocities. At the Quebec Conference in August 1943, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull and British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden agreed to draft a declaration that included a call for “a general international organization, based on

9270-649: Was Yrigoyen's former Minister, and Colonel Roberto Bosch were arrested during the uprising and the organizers and leaders of the party were imprisoned at Martín García . Former President Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear was exiled by the government, while others were detained in the penitentiary in Ushuaia . In 1935, former president Alvear was allowed to return from exile as part of a gentlemen's agreement with Justo , with Alvear promising there would be no more violent rebellions in exchange for Justo promising an end to fraudulent elections. Thus Alvear took on leadership of

9373-501: Was a combination of the desires of the British diplomacy and the Argentine army, which prevailed over the pro-war factions. Socialist deputy Enrique Dickmann created a commission in the National Congress to investigate a rumored German attempt to seize Patagonia and then conquer the rest of the country. The conservative deputy Videla Dorna claimed that the real risk was a similar Communist invasion, and FORJA believed that

9476-460: Was a complex period that began in 1939 , after the outbreak of the war in Europe , and ended in 1945 with the surrender of the Empire of Japan. Before the start of World War II in 1939, Argentina had maintained a long tradition of neutrality regarding European wars, which had been upheld and defended by all major political parties since the 19th century. One of the main reasons for this policy

9579-407: Was called back to London after the first half of the conference, leadership of the delegation was assumed by Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax , the British ambassador in Washington.) The conference itself was chaired by Stettinius, and U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull delivered the opening address. The conversations were held in two phases, since the Soviets were unwilling to meet directly with

9682-495: Was due to end in 1944. Initially, it was arranged that Agustín Pedro Justo would run for president for a second time, but after his unexpected death in 1943 Castillo was forced to seek another candidate, finally settling on Robustiano Patrón Costas . The army, however, was neither willing to support the electoral fraud that would be necessary to secure Costas's victory, nor to continue conservative policies, nor to risk Costas breaking neutrality. A number of generals reacted by creating

9785-520: Was extended to the hereafter"), Ortiz won the elections handily. When the war began, Roberto María Ortiz was the President of Argentina . Despite winning the presidency in 1937 in a process that was widely recognized as fraudulent by both the government and the opposition, by 1939 the government of Ortiz had made democratic normalization a priority of its agenda. To achieve this aim, the Ortiz administration resorted to federal interventions, but in

9888-435: Was instead carried out earlier in response rumors of the possible sacking of the minister of war, Pedro Pablo Ramírez . It is not known for certain whether Patrón Costas would have maintained neutrality or not. But some declarations of support to Britain and his ties with pro-allied factions suggest that had he become president he would have declared war. The military coup that deposed Castillo took place on 4 June 1943. It

9991-445: Was instructed to ignore the German blockade. These measures eased relations with the United States. When the Allies advanced into Frankfurt , Argentina finally formalized the negotiations. On 27 March, per Decree 6945, Argentina declared war on Japan and, by extension, on Germany, an ally of Japan. FORJA, one of the main proponents of neutrality, distanced itself from the government, but eventually Arturo Jauretche would come to support

10094-411: Was nearing its end. The Red Army had captured Warsaw and was closing in on East Prussia, and Berlin itself was under attack. Allied victory was imminent. Perón, the strong man of the Argentine government, foresaw that the Allies would dominate international politics for decades and concluded that although Argentina had successfully resisted the pressure to force it to join the war, remaining neutral until

10197-541: Was planned as a meeting between three Great Powers (the US, UK and the Soviet Union). Roosevelt suspected that Stalin's true motivations were to avoid antagonizing the Japanese with whom they had signed a non-aggression pact in 1941. Churchill's view was that Stalin had a similar reluctance to recognize China as a Great Power. Argentina during World War II The history of Argentina during World War II

10300-452: Was related to Argentina's economic position as one of the world's leading exporters of foodstuffs and agricultural products, to Europe in general and to the United Kingdom in particular. Relations between Britain and Argentina had been strong since the mid-19th century, due to the large volume of trade between both countries, the major presence of British investments particularly in railroads and banking, as well as British immigration , and

10403-594: Was renewed for another three years as the Eden-Malbrán Treaty of 1936. Argentina under Justo would also rejoin the League of Nations , and hold State Visits to presidents Getúlio Vargas of Brazil and Gabriel Terra of Uruguay , signing commercial treaties with those nations. Justo's foreign minister, Carlos Saavedra Lamas would also serve an important role as a mediator in the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay , helping both countries reach

10506-454: Was the only Latin American country to not have broken relations with the Axis, that Argentine food was sold at lucrative return, and that United States military hardware was intended for countries already at war, some of which were facing more severe fuel shortages than was Argentina. Storni resigned after this rejection. The United States took further measures to increase pressure on Argentina. All Argentine companies suspected of having ties with

10609-633: Was to prohibit Acción Argentina and its pro-Allied advocacy activities. The new government proceeded with both progressive and reactionary policies. Maximum prices were established for popular products, rents were reduced, the privileges of the Chadopyff factory were annulled and hospital fees were abolished. On the other hand, the authorities intervened trade unions, closed the Communist newspaper La Hora and imposed religious education at schools. Juan Perón and Edelmiro Julián Farrell , hailing from

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