721.23/731
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (White)
The Brazilian Ambassador21 called at 4:10 p.m. today and told me that he had been instructed by his Government to ask us to support in Lima the proposal of the Brazilian Government to Colombia and Peru. I asked him what the proposal is. He said the proposal is that Colombia [Peru] should turn over Leticia to Brazil and that Brazil, after a short time, should turn the territory over to Colombia, and that there would be conversations between the Peruvian and Colombian representatives in Bio to discuss their differences. He said that he was not quite clear whether the conversations were to take place before or after Leticia is turned back to Colombia but he did not think that that was an important point. I told him that on the contrary I considered it a most important point and that I would want to have that cleared up before we took any action. I asked him when he got his telegram. He said about three o’clock yesterday afternoon. I then read him the first paragraph of telegram No. 5, January 10, 4 p.m., from the Embassy in Rio, and the Ambassador said that his instructions agreed with that and that the conversations should take place after Leticia is returned to Colombia. I asked him if he was sure of this and he said he was. I then told him that on that basis we would send a telegram to our Embassy in Lima instructing it to present a note to the Peruvian Government and telling the Ambassador to keep in touch with his Brazilian colleague and endeavor to have the Brazilian proposal accepted. The Ambassador expressed his gratification at this.
- R. de Lima e Silva.↩