723.2515/442
The British Chargé (Barclay) to the Acting Secretary of State
Memorandum
His Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires presents his compliments to the Acting Secretary of State and has the honour to inform him, by direction of His Majesty’s Government that certain proposals for a settlement of the Tacna Arica question have been put forward by His Majesty’s Representative at La Paz, which may be summarized as follows:
If Chile will agree to abandon the schemes of territorial expansion which are understood to aim at operations in Bolivia by means of the Arica Antofagasta Railways and if she will agree to cede Tacna and Arica to Peru (after a preliminary understanding between Chile and Bolivia) it should not be impossible for Peru to [Page 146] offer equivalent compensation to Chile which might take the form of a Commercial Treaty favourable to Chile.
If Chile received a guarantee that Bolivia and not Peru would finally hold the two provinces, she might cede them. There will be a further stipulation by which Peru would cede the two provinces to Bolivia against suitable financial compensation and a transfer to [from?] Bolivia of territory east of Lake Titicaca.
Chile would be compensated by Bolivia for the cost of the Arica-La Paz Railway, which would pass entirely under the control of Bolivia.
Chile would gain under such an arrangement inasmuch as Antofagasta and Tarapaca would be definitely secured to her, while she would have nothing to fear from Bolivia at Arica. For similar reasons Peru would establish a permanent claim on Bolivian gratitude and obtain valuable territory near Lake Titicaca. The satisfaction of her national aspirations would be a gain to Bolivia.
In putting forward these suggestions it is pointed out by His Majesty’s Representative at La Paz:
- (1)
- That there is never likely to be a satisfactory solution of the Tacna Arica question unless the three States concerned are parties to it.
- (2)
- That an arrangement is not likely to be come to by the three States unless the Allied Powers initiate negotiations and carry them on under their supervision.
In the opinion of His Majesty’s Government these proposals appear to have much in their favour and His Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires is therefore directed to express the hope that His Majesty’s Government may be favoured at an early date with the views of the United States Government with respect to them.42
- Receipt of this memorandum was simply acknowledged, Feb. 13.↩