721.2315/175: Telegram
The Ambassador in Peru ( Poindexter ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:45 p.m.]
9. Section 2. At 11:20 this morning the Minister for Foreign Affairs under instructions of the President handed me a copy of his proposed instructions to Ambassador Velarde. Upon examination I found the second paragraph of the proposed procès-verbal omitted, namely: “the ratification by Colombia and Peru of the above-mentioned boundary convention” and also omitted from the third paragraph the words “immediately after the ratification of the above convention.” After much conversation and insistence I finally secured an agreement from the Minister, after he had consulted with the President, to reinsert in his instructions to the Peruvian Ambassador the aforesaid second paragraph of the suggestions of the Secretary [Page 452] of State as I pointed out that that was the essential feature of the entire negotiations.
Both the President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs were insistent upon changing the paragraphs of the procès-verbal containing the remarks of Peruvian Ambassador so as to read as follows:
“Doctor Velarde then stated that he also was authorized by his Government in view of the withdrawal by Brazil of its friendly observation upon which consideration of the treaty was suspended to express his acceptance of the friendly suggestion which the Secretary of State had just made, in the sense that consideration of the treaty by the Peruvian Congress would be resumed and it would take its regular constitutional course before that body.”
Both the Minister and the President stated that the greater part of the language eliminated from Dr. Velarde’s remarks was a repetition and mere recital and that as it refers to matters purely relating to Brazil and Colombia with which Peru had no concern, they preferred to make no mention of it. Both were quite fixed in making the change reported in my number 6, February 27 noon by which “take its constitutional course” is substituted for “recommendation that it approve”.