Ninth International Conference of American States

Ninth International Conference of American States
Name	Ninth International Conference of American States
Country	Panama
City	Panama City
Venue	Ancon Hill
Date	1939
Organizer	Pan American Union
Participants	United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Canada
Preceded by	Eighth International Conference of American States
Followed by	Tenth International Conference of American States

Ninth International Conference of American States

The Ninth International Conference of American States convened in Panama City in 1939 under the auspices of the Pan American Union to address hemispheric cooperation amid rising global tensions. Delegations from across the Americas—including the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Canada—gathered to negotiate measures on collective security, economic coordination, and inter-American legal frameworks. The conference occurred against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, the Munich Agreement, and the outbreak of the Second World War, prompting discussions that linked regional diplomacy to global strategic concerns.

Background and Context

The conference followed precedents set by the First International Conference of American States and subsequent meetings hosted by the Pan American Union in Washington, D.C. and Buenos Aires. Influential documents such as the Monroe Doctrine and the Calvo Doctrine informed debates alongside contemporary instruments like the Kellogg–Briand Pact and the Treaty of Versailles's legacy. Regional leaders referenced crises including the Chaco War and the Cuban Revolution's antecedents while reacting to policies from the United Kingdom, France, Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. Key figures who shaped the diplomatic climate included Franklin D. Roosevelt, Getúlio Vargas, Juan Perón (then emerging), Ángel Sagaz Zubelzu (as a legal scholar), and jurists connected to the American Bar Association and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights lineage.

Conference Planning and Participation

Preparations involved the Pan American Union's secretariat coordinating with foreign ministries in Washington, D.C., Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, and Mexico City. Delegations included diplomats drawn from the United States Department of State, the Foreign Office equivalents in Argentina and Brazil, and representatives from regional bodies like the Caribbean Community's antecedents, the Central American Court of Justice's proponents, and commercial delegations from Standard Oil affiliates and United Fruit Company-connected interests. Observers from the League of Nations and envoys tied to the Organization of American States discussions attended. Notable delegates included envoys associated with Cordell Hull, ministers influenced by Elliott Roosevelt, and legal advisers conversant with Alfred-Maurice de Zayas's later scholarship.

Agenda and Key Resolutions

Plenary sessions debated collective security measures influenced by the Act of Chapultepec concept and proposals reminiscent of the Convention of Panama (1906). The conference produced resolutions on non-intervention inspired by the Good Neighbor Policy, economic cooperation referencing the Inter-American Economic and Social Council precursors, and codification proposals for arbitration linked to the Hague Conventions and the Permanent Court of International Justice's traditions. Committees handled issues of maritime law in the spirit of the Sampson-King Protocol and trade measures reflecting the Bretton Woods Conference's nascent contours. The assembly passed declarations that later influenced instruments such as the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance and elements of the United Nations Charter.

Debates, Negotiations, and Diplomatic Dynamics

Contentious debates pitted proponents of close alignment with United States strategic aims against advocates for stricter sovereignty protections favored by Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Negotiations saw interventions by envoys associated with Eugenio Matte and diplomats bearing the legacy of Rómulo Betancourt's intellectual circle. Issues of naval basing and transatlantic shipping drew references to the Panama Canal's strategic status and treaties like the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty. Latin American ministers invoked principles from the Treaty of Bogotá and the Andean Pact precursors. Multilateral diplomacy involved bargaining over language derived from the Montevideo Convention and proposed commitments echoing the Securitization debates prevalent in contemporary international law scholarship.

Outcomes and Implementation

The conference yielded formal agreements on hemisphere-wide consultation mechanisms, enhanced arbitration frameworks, and trade cooperation initiatives aligning with Buenos Aires Conference precedents. Resolution implementation engaged national legislatures in United States Congress, Argentine Chamber of Deputies, Brazilian National Congress, and parliamentary bodies in Canada and Mexico City's Congress of the Union. Follow-up institutions expanded the Pan American Union's secretariat functions and contributed to the founding norms of the later Organization of American States. Technical commissions coordinated with experts from the Smithsonian Institution, the Brookings Institution, and the Inter-American Development Bank's conceptual forerunners.

Impact and Legacy

The Ninth International Conference influenced hemispheric alignment during World War II and the postwar order, shaping policy trajectories that led to the Rio Treaty and the OAS Charter. Its legal and diplomatic precedents informed scholars at Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Law. Political leaders linked to the conference—such as those succeeding Getúlio Vargas and figures in Mexican Revolution aftermath politics—drew on its resolutions during Cold War crises including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The conference's archival records entered collections at the National Archives and Records Administration, the Biblioteca Nacional de México, and the Archivo General de la Nación (Argentina), serving researchers of inter-American relations, comparative constitutionalism, and international arbitration.

Category:International conferences Category:Pan American Union Category:1939 conferences