723.2515/1606: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Arica (Von Tresckow)
For Pershing: Your telegram of September 6, 4 p.m. Department has just received following telegram from Ambassador Collier:
Pershing’s telegram to Edwards on intolerable situation in Tacna and necessity for immediate action by Chilean Government was transmitted Monday to Edwards.
Edwards yesterday requested the Embassy to send reply to Pershing, asserting that courtesy required that he reply the same channels employed by Pershing. I consented to send reply merely as medium of communication without my action being regarded as report by me or as implying approval of its contents. Since Pershing’s telegram was received, President Alessandri, Mr. Edwards, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs have come to me to complain [Page 376] that the Peruvians have adopted provocative policy deliberately calculated to create disorder, and that General Pershing shows undue sympathy with them and fails to appreciate Chile’s right to govern the province. There are bitter complaints against the United States for allowing Americans to form part of the Peruvian delegation and electioneer actively for Peru. This is looked upon as inconsistent with impartiality and as creating the impression that the United States favors Peru. Complaints also made that General Pershing upholds Peru in the publication of a newspaper whose articles slander the power that has right of provisional government and also in its sale by methods which insult Chileans. Alessandri and Minister for Foreign Affairs said that Chile has determined to maintain order but not to yield any advantage which is secured to the occupying power by treaty and is admitted by the award. Both stated that Peru was representing herself as weaker nation in order to win Pershing’s sympathies, and was seeking to force the United States to yield to her demands by threats of withdrawal from the plebiscite. Mr. Edwards went so far as to say that Chile would withdraw before she would waive any of her rights, and that this step would be disastrous for Pershing’s prestige.
I replied to all of them that I was without specific instructions, but that the impartiality of the United States was beyond question and that the honor of the American Nation required guarantee of fairness to both Chile and Peru; that I could make no report as I had no personal knowledge; that General Pershing could give the Government of the United States full information and that the Chilean Ambassador in Washington was the one to make such representations as Chile wished to make to the American Government; that Chile’s right to govern the territory carried with it the responsibility of maintaining order; and that if either Chile or Peru withdrew from the plebiscite, the step would be disastrous for it as it would be condemned by the public opinion of the world.
President Alessandri has telegraphed most emphatically to the intendente to maintain order at all costs and to safeguard the rights of the Plebiscitary Commission, of its agents, and of every qualified voter; and he has telegraphed an appeal to civic organizations to refrain from violence and from retaliation for murder of two Chileans allegedly by two Peruvians, and to give the Peruvian voters all their rights, etc. It is said that Alessandri is once more considering advisability of going to Arica and inviting President of Peru to join him there. Collier.
Referring to request in your telegram of September 6, do you, in the light of Collier’s telegram, still wish me to make representations through Embassy at Santiago? I feel that his telegram somewhat alters the situation and might make it advisable to wait to see if Government of Chile takes action that President Alessandri has promised Collier would be taken. If you still desire me to make representations, however, shall I cover the whole ground of your message to Edwards and protest against the conditions in Tacna and Arica which you say prevent a fair election, or do you wish me merely to cover matter in your concluding paragraph, that is, to [Page 377] ask the President of Chile to refrain from making inflammatory speeches, to abstain from anything by which difficulties of situation would be increased, and to lose no opportunity to give calm and pacific counsel to the people. I thought that if, perhaps, I limit myself to this statement, your position might be weakened and Chilean Government will not get the idea that we believe its action will prevent a fair election. In my understanding, however, representations to the President of Peru should merely correspond to last paragraph your telegram. In view of your telegram of August 16, 8 p.m., in which you request that no representations be made without your approval, I hesitate to make any in present instance without your further advice. I suggest also that whatever I do should be done as Secretary of State rather than in the name of the Arbitrator.