File No. 723.2515/289.
The American Minister to Chile to the Secretary of State.
Santiago, January 30, 1913.
Sir: I have the honor to report that the Chilean Congress has been adjourned until June first, next, and that no action has been taken on the President’s message of November 11th, last, recommending [Page 1231] the creation of a Chilean Legation at Lima. * * * The recent or, as one might say, the present negotiations, for informal negotiations are still being carried on, and have undoubtedly advanced the Tacna-Arica] matter toward a solution. Peru, in accepting the Chilean majority and organization of the election board which by the Huneeus-Valera arrangement was to have held the plebiscite, practically accepted in advance a result adverse to her pretensions and from that to a frank recognition of a fait accompli may not be a far cry.
I gather from casual conversations with Mr. Villegas1 that the Chilean idea is to propose a definite recognition on the part of Peru of Chilean sovereignty of Tacna and Arica, or at least of the major portion of these two provinces—for it may be that a division such as suggested in my No. 32 of December 2, 1910, will be resorted to in order to more readily secure acceptance of the cession in Peru—Chile paying practically any sum fixed by Peru. Of course the difficulty in this apparently simple solution is the strong probability that it will not be entertained by Peru and Mr. Villegas has hinted to me that, if matters progress so far, Chile would greatly appreciate our good offices in recommending to Peru the acceptance of such an arrangement. To this I have replied very guardedly, saying merely that my Government would be very pleased to see the matter settled to the satisfaction of all concerned but that in a delicate matter of this sort the President and Secretary of State would have to decide how far it would be possible to offer friendly advice to either party, and I have hinted that, as our friendly and disinterested action in the past towards securing peace between Chile and Peru has been misjudged and badly interpreted in Chile, the Department may feel reluctant to interpose its good offices again. In other words, I did not encourage the Minister to hope for a favorable reply in case he should make his request, but, on the other hand, I did not without instructions feel at liberty to discourage him from making it.
It is the general impression here that no Peruvian Government will be able to agree to the definite cession unless it can give the impression that it is accepting the inevitable and yielding not only to the pressure of Chile but to the advice of third parties as well.
In my opinion it would be a great mistake for the United States alone to offer any advice in the dispute—how far it might be possible to go in company with Argentine and Brazil and other countries in the premises is perhaps another matter—but it seems to me that our own interests will be better served by a strict impartiality and absolute non-interference either singly or collectively. If this course shall be maintained Chile can not complain; the unfortunate results of former similar efforts on our part are a sufficient answer. In Peru the particularly friendly feeling towards us would be changed in a twinkling to enmity and distrust. We have, I believe, everything to lose and nothing to gain by interfering.
Should the Department wish me to discourage the Minister for Foreign Affairs from making a request for our good offices in this connection, there will be time to instruct me in this sense before the negotiations reach that point and I can do so quite informally and [Page 1232] without difficulty. Failing to receive any instruction on the subject, I shall allow the matter to take its course without encouragement or discouragement.
I have [etc.]
- The new Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩