723.2515/467: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile (Shea) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 10.50 p.m.]
Strictly confidential. For the Department and for transmission to Stabler.
Edwards called Robbins to his office yesterday afternoon and with reference to his conversation with me, my March 25th, 7 p.m., stated definitely that he had been authorized by the President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to act in a supplementary way to the Yanez Mission and that he was leaving on April 2d in order to accomplish this purpose. He added that the Chilean Ambassador at Washington had been so instructed by cable. He then said confidentially that his first purpose would be to undo the mistake made by the Chilean Government in not accepting President Wilson’s offer of good offices and that his main purpose would be to urge President Wilson to renew this offer, the terms being practically as follows:
That a plebiscite be called for the province of Tacna which would in all probability result in that district becoming Peruvian.
- Second: that a separate plebiscite be called for the Province of Arica which would probably result in that district becoming Chilean.
- Third: That this being the case Chile would make the Province of Arica an “absolutely free zone with no custom houses” and would agree to the use by Bolivia of the Arica-La Paz Railroad. He added [Page 157] in regard to this that this was only the first step and was as much as Chile could do at present owing to the political situation but that should this plan materialize it would only be a question of time before Chile would turn over a part of [or?] all of its Province of Arica to Bolivia.
He also suggested that if President Wilson should mediate it would be advisable to appoint Great Britain or Great Britain and the United States to act as arbitrators but that possibly this would not even be necessary and that President Wilson might settle the matter without arbitration.
He suggested most confidentially that he thought it would be far wiser for the Yanez Mission to discuss financial matters and expressed the hope that he alone be allowed to take up the Tacna-Arica situation. …