723.2515/1328
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Fletcher)
The Chilean Ambassador called by appointment today, and gave me to read, in confidence, a personal letter to him from the President of Chile, as well as the original instruction from his Government on the subject of the steps Chile is now ready to take for the solution of the Tacna–Arica question. The instruction, after referring to what was said by the President of Chile in his annual message to Congress on the subject of the solution of this long-standing question, informed the Ambassador that the Chilean Government intended to invite the Peruvian Government to proceed to carry out the Treaty of Ancon by the holding of a plebiscite on the bases provided for in the Huneeus–Valera Protocol45 (copy attached), without prejudicing the consideration of such other bases as Peru may suggest, provided that such bases should contemplate the definitive settlement of the sovereignty by means of the plebiscite as has been done by the various plebiscites celebrated under the Treaty of Versailles. The instruction stated further that in view of the possibility that Peru would refuse to accept the bases above mentioned, the Ambassador should inform this Government unofficially of the intention of the Chilean Government as above set forth, and suggest also, unofficially, that in such case this Government should spontaneously suggest to Peru and Chile the bases on which the plebiscite should be held, which would be agreed upon before-hand between the Governments of Chile and the United States.
After congratulating the Ambassador upon the decision of his Government to initiate negotiations for the settlement of this longstanding controversy, I asked him how his Government proposed to approach the Peruvian Government, whether directly or through another Government. He informed me that Mr. Carlos Castro Ruiz (who was Under Secretary of Foreign. Affairs during my term of service in Chile, and later Consul General in New York) had been appointed Counsellor of Embassy, and had brought with him this instruction, as well as other verbal instructions of his Government. He said that Mr. Castro had informed him that the Chilean Government would probably extend its invitation to the Peruvian Government through the President of Uruguay. I asked him whether he believed that his Government would be prepared to modify the bases of the Huneeus–Valera Protocol, and I referred [Page 244] especially to the stipulation that the plebiscite Commission should be presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Chile. The Ambassador replied that he felt confident that his Government would not insist on this feature, and, in his opinion, would be willing to accept the Chief Justice of Uruguay, or some other impartial country, if Peru should propose that as an alternative. The Ambassador gave me the impression that his Government really desired to come to terms with Peru on the plebiscite, and dispose of this question.
I told the Ambassador that if he would give me a confidential memorandum of the pertinent portions of the instruction which I had read, I would be very glad to lay it before the Secretary of State, and to let him know the result as soon as possible. The Ambassador promised to send me this memorandum at once, and requested that the matter be held in the strictest confidence.
- For negotiations relating to this protocol, see Foreign Relations, 1913, pp. 1222 ff.↩