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The Paraguayan “Jewel Box”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Victor C. Dahl
Victor C. Dahl*
Affiliation:
Portland State College, Portland, Oregon
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Extract

During one of the most brutal wars in modern times the combined forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay fought against and almost annihilated the Paraguayan nation. From 1865 to 1870 Paraguayans earned the world’s respect for their resistance to overwhelming invading forces, yet they endured hideous oppressions under a tryannical government. Although the United States then had little interest in Paraguay or direct involvement in the war and its issues, some valuable articles, including jewelry and money, deposited for safe-keeping in the United States legation in Asunción during the hostilities opened a lingering controversy that plagued the two countries’ relations for more than a half-century.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , January 1965 , pp. 223 - 242
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1965

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References

1 For a succinct account of the war, a biographical sketch of Washburn, and a narrative of the latter’s diplomatic career, see Warren, Harris Gaylord, Paraguay, An Informal History (Norman, Oklahoma, 1949), pp. 217–260 Google Scholar; for a first hand account of Washburn’s experiences, see Washburn, Charles Ames, History of Paraguay, 2 vols. (New York and Boston, 1871)Google Scholar, passim.

2 Washburn, Charles A., minister, to Seward, William, secretary of state, Asunción, No. 92, October 14, 1867, United States Department of State, Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Diplomatic Correspondence 1868–1869, Volume II, pp. 647–649 Google Scholar; hereafter cited as: Foreign Relations.

3 Washburn, History, II, pp. 164–165, 172–175.

4 Washburn to Seward, Asunción, No. 92, October 14, 1867; Washburn, History, I, pp. 562–571, II, 2–4; and Benites, Gregorio (ed.), Anales diplomático y militar de la guerra del Paraguay (Asunción, 1906), I, pp. 101–126.Google Scholar

5 Washburn, History, II, pp. 5–11, 114–134. A congressional investigation of the Navy’s failure to provide transportation for Washburn and of his conduct in Paraguay, resulted in the minister’s exoneration. See Paraguayan Investigation, House of Representatives, 41st Congress, 2nd session, report No. 65, Vol. II (Washington, D. C., 1870).

6 Peterson, Harold F., “Efforts of the United States to Mediate in the Paraguayan War,” Hispanic American Historical Review, XII (1932), pp. 2–17 CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Washburn, History, II, pp. 179–195; Captain Sir Burton, Richard F., Letters from the Battle-Fields of Paraguay (London, 1870), pp. 408–409 Google Scholar; and Benites, , Anales … , II, pp. 11–22 Google Scholar. Burton visited the battlefields and the capital cities of the warring powers during the last two years of the war; he met Washburn and for the most part applauded his actions.

7 Washburn to Seward, Asunción, No. 95, January 13, 1868; and Seward to Washburn, Washington, No. 75, January 14, 1868, Foreign Relations, 1868–1869, II, pp. 650–652.

8 Washburn to Seward, Asunción, No. 97, April 7, 1868, Foreign Relations, 1868–1869, II, pp. 654–657; Washburn, History, II, pp. 141–142, 214–244, 255–256, 379–380. According to Washburn, López’s mother once had asked for a promise of asylum in event the city fell because she feared the retaliation of both her son and the enemy. Although Washburn agreed, she never came to the legation.

9 Seward, to McMahon, Martin T., minister, Washington, No. 3, September 2, 1868, Foreign Relations, 1868–1869, II, pp. 668–669.Google Scholar

10 Washburn to Caminos, Luis, foreign minister, Asunción; and Caminos to Washburn, September 5, 1868, Foreign Relations, 1868–1869, II, pp. 816–817 Google Scholar. Washburn’s despatch includes a general property inventory of material on deposit in the legation.

11 Caminos to Washburn, Luque, Paraguay, September 5, September 6, and September 7, 1868; Washburn to Caminos, Asunción, September 6, September 7 (2 letters), September 8, 1868, Foreign Relations, 1868–1869, II, pp. 817–822. According to Washburn the Paraguayan army’s medical service was superior to that of the Allies and consisted largely of English physicians and their assistants.

12 Burton, Letters, pp. 410–411.

13 Caminos to Washburn, Asunción, September 8, and September 10, 1868; Washburn to Caminos, Asunción, September 8, and September 10, 1868, Foreign Relations, 1868–1869, II, pp. 822–825.

14 Warren, Paraguay, pp. 252–254; Burton, Letters, pp. 410–411; and Washburn to Seward, Buenos Aires, No. 100, September 26, 1868, No. 101, October 5, 1868, Foreign Relations, 1868–1869, II, pp. 670–675; Masterman, George Frederick, Seven Eventful Years in Paraguay, A Narrative of Personal Experiences Amongst the Paraguayans (London, 1869), pp. 251–252 Google Scholar, passim. The congressional inquiry also exonerated Washburn for leaving Asunción before obtaining the release of his staff members. Washburn had told his subordinates that he would arrange for their release once he was out of danger himself.

15 Washburn to McMahon, , Buenos Aires, November 11, 1868, Despatches from United States Ministers to Paraguay and Uruguay, Volume 9, National Archives, Microcopy M128 Google Scholar; hereafter cited as NA, M/128. According to a note appended by Granville Stuart, U. S. minister to Uruguay and Paraguay (1894 to 1898), Lopez’s surgeon-general, Dr. Stewart, and his wife still resided in Asunción in February, 1897. By Washburn’s reckoning in 1868, Dr. Stewart had deposited a trunk with $5,000 or $6,000 in metallic currency which had been left in Asunción; yet four years later he estimated that Stewart’s trunk contained $15,000 in gold and silver. See Washburn to McMahon, Buenos Aires, November 11, 1868; and Washburn to Hamilton Fish, secretary of state, Washington, April 22, 1872, NA, M/128.

16 Wright, Robert C., chargé d’affaires, Rio de Janeiro, No. 185, July 13, 1871, Foreign Relations, 1871, pp. 52–53 Google Scholar; and “Memorandum accompanying the note of Mr. Manoel Francisco Correira, (Brazilian) minister of foreign affairs, to the Italian minister, dated 11th of May, 1871,” Foreign Relations, 1871, pp. 53–60. According to a note by Granville Stuart, Italians in Paraguay assassinated the consul for stealing their money and jewelry left in his custody.

17 Fish to Wright, Washington, No. 52, January 31, 1871; Wright to Fish, Rio de Janeiro, Nos. 164, March 20, 1871, 167, March 24, 1871, 174, May 22, 1871; and Wright to Correira, May 4, 1871, Foreign Relations, 1871, pp. 43–46.

18 Wright to Fish, Rio de Janeiro, No. 178, June 10, 1871; Correira to Wright (translation), Rio de Janeiro, May 30, 1871; Wright to Correira, Janeiro, Rio de, June 3, 1871, Foreign Relations, 1871, pp. 48–52.Google Scholar

19 Partridge, James R., minister, to Fish, Janeiro, Rio de, No. 5, August 26, 1871, Foreign Relations, 1871, p. 60 Google Scholar. This despatch includes an inventory of property attested to by Partridge and the Brazilian government. This inventory differs substantially from the one forwarded by Washburn on September 5, 1868.

20 Washburn to Fish, Washington, April 22, 1872, NA, M/128.

21 Frederick F. Frelinghuysen, secretary of state, to William Williams, minister to Paraguay, Washington, No. 14, March 29, 1883; and Bayard, F. F., secretary of state, to Bacon, John E., minister to Paraguay, Washington, No. 81, December 30, 1887, Diplomatic Instructions of the Department of State, Paraguay and Uruguay, National Archives, Microcopy 77 Google Scholar; hereafter cited as NA, M/77.

22 Frelinghuysen to Williams, Washington, No. 33, December 13, 1883; and Bayard to Bacon, Washington, No. 81, December 30, 1887, NA, M/77.

23 Frelinghuysen to Williams, Washington, Confidential, No. 41, March 25, 1884; and Bayard to Bacon, Washington, No. 81, December 30, 1887, NA, M/77.

24 New York Times, February 26, 1884, p. 5; Dictionary of American Biography (1946), XIV, 282–283.

25 Frelinghuysen to Williams, Washington, Confidential, No. 41, March 25, 1884; Bayard to Bacon, Washington, No. 81, December 30, 1887, NA, M/77.

26 Bayard to Bacon, Washington, No. 81, December 30, 1887, No. 85, March 2, 1888; G. L. Rives, acting secretary, to Bacon, Washington, No. 82, January 4, 1888; Alvey A. Adee, acting secretary, to Bacon, Washington, September 4, 1889; and Adee to Maney, September 9, 1889, NA, M/77.

27 Granville Stuart, minister, to Olney, Montevideo, No. 71, October 29, 1895; Decoud to Stuart, Asunción, October 7, 1895 (copy); and Maney to Olney, Washington, April 8, 1896, NA, M/128. Only a decade earlier, Stuart had organized a vigilante raid that brought death to an unknown number of livestock thieves in Central Montana; see Phillips, P. C., ed., Forty Years on the Frontier, As Seen in the Journals and Reminiscences of Granville Stuart, Gold-Miner, Trader, Merchant, Rancher and Politician (Glendale, California, 1957)Google Scholar, passim.

28 Olney to Stuart, Washington, No. 71, June 1, 1896, NA, M/77; Stuart to Olney, Asunción, August 5, 1896; Stuart to Decoud, Asunción, August 5, 1896, NA, M/128. Stuart was in Paraguay at this time for official business and took advantage of the trip to make investigations about opportunities for personal investments.

29 Stuart to Olney, Montevideo, No. 108, February 7, 1897; Stuart to Sherman, No. 120, April 23, 1897, NA, M/128; Sherman to Stuart, Washington, No. 109, May 29, 1897; Sherman to Stuart, No. 96, March 30, 1897, NA, M/77; and Alyne, F. Van, Solicitor’s Office, Washington, to Adee, memorandum May 27, 1897 Google Scholar; and Van Alyne to Diplomatie Bureau, Solicitor’s Office, Washington, memorandum, May 28, 1897, NA, M/128. In a memorandum to Assistant Secretary William R. Day, dated May 28, 1897, Adee stated his belief that Partridge had committed suicide after being threatened with exposure for misappropriation of these valuables; Day and Van Alyne apparently concurred. Although the prima facie evidence bears out such a conclusion, no proof of the accusation had been substantiated and no formal inquiry had been undertaken to provide complete details. In spite of the circumstantial evidence, the case must stand unproved.

30 Decoud to Stuart, Asunción, May 25,1897; Stuart to Sherman, Montevideo, No. 146, November 13, 1897, NA, M/128; and Sherman to Stuart, Washington, No. 129, December 22, 1897, NA, M/77.

31 Sherman to Finch, Washington, No. 21, March 29, 1898; Hay to Finch, Washington, No. 93, January 23, 1899, No. 116, April 24, 1899, No. 121, June 6, 1899, No. 122, June 13, 1899, No. 177, November 20, 1899, No. 179, December 22, 1900, No. 196, August 20, 1901, NA, M/77.

32 Finch to Hay, Montevideo, No. 517, February 5, 1902, No. 530, June 6, 1902, No. 578, September 9, 1902, No. 242, September 8, 1903, NA, M/128; Hay to Finch, Washington, No. 208, February 20, 1902, No. 215, June 27, 1902, No. 226, February 6, 1903, No. 242, September 8, 1903, NA, M/77; and Grew, Joseph C., secretary of state, to Southworth, William B., chargé d’affaires, Washington, No. 290, April 9, 1925, National Archives, Correspondence File 333.334, R33/1-21, microcopy Google Scholar; hereafter cited NA, R33/1–21.

33 Southworth to Grew, Asunción, No. 1429, September 18, 1924; Grew to Southworth, Washington, No. 276, January 27, 1925; and Grew to Hoffman Philip, minister to Uruguay, No. 318, January 27, 1925, NA, R33/1–21.

34 Wilson, Division of Latin American Affairs, to Flournoy, R. W., Office of the Solicitor, Washington, Memorandum, November 11, 1924 Google Scholar; J., P. C. “Memorandum of the Paraguayan Jewels,” Office of the Solicitor, November 13, 1924 Google Scholar; Flournoy to Wilson, memorandum, December 31, 1924, NA, R33/1–21.

35 Philip to Grew, Montevideo, No. 395, March 9, 1925; Grew to Southworth, Washington, No. 290, April 9, 1925, NA, R33/1–21. The new inventory with photographs accompanied Philip’s despatch.

36 Southworth to Grew, Asunción, No. 1523, May 28, 1925, NA, R33/1–21.

37 Bordenave to Southworth, Asunción, No. 865, June 30, 1925, NA, R33/1–21.

38 For example, an article in the New York Times (June 9, 1925, p. 25) from a Buenos Aires correspondent hinted that the box contained jewels of considerable value.

39 Southworth to Grew, Asunción, No. 1542, July 1, 1925, NA, R33/1–21.

40 Flournoy to Wilson, Memorandum, Office of Solicitor, Washington, September 14, 1925; Grew to George T. Kreeck, minister to Paraguay, Washington, No. 304, October 1, 1925, NA, R33/1–21.

41 Memorandum, , “Political Relations with the United States. The Paraguayan Jewels,” U. S. Legation, Asunción, November 24, 1925 Google Scholar; Kreeck to Grew, telegram, November 24, 1925; NA, R33/1–21. The memorandum quotes from two Asunción newspapers, the official Diario and El Liberal; the latter offered generous praise for the U. S. government and Kreeck.

42 Kreeck to Grew, Asunción, No. 44, February 18, 1926; Hofer, Myron A., legation first secretary, to U. Grant-Smith, minister to Uruguay, Montevideo, February 23, 1926 Google Scholar; and El Plata, Montevideo, February 12, 1926, El Pais, Montevideo, February 15, 1926. The State Department decided to reimburse the Argentine government for the security expenses. See Division of Latin American Affairs, Memorandum, March 25, 1926, NA, R33/1–21.

48 Kreeck to Grew, Asunción, No. 58, March 22, 1926; Memorandum, Asunción, March 22, 1925, signed by Bordenave and Kreeck, NA, R33/1–21.