723.2515/2218: Telegram
The Consul at Arica (Von Tresckow) to the Secretary of State
From Lassiter. In continuation of my telegram April 18, 5 p.m. Deportations provide typical example of difficulties involved in proving case against authority controlling territory and of the evidence available. In spite of difficulties in obtaining proof, deportations have been so numerous that large amount of evidence is available.
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General Pershing was able to show in January from reports made to our observers that there had been about 700 deportations and expulsions, of which about 275 had taken place between rendition of the award and end of 1925. Although there has been no special effort to unearth cases of that sort since then, about 25 cases have been reported as having taken place since last December. The probably considerable decrease in this period is due (1) to fact that the work had already been well done, as is shown by the many vacant Peruvian homes and homes where, our observers found, only women were living—American members of two registration boards alone have reported over 100 vacant houses; and (2) to greater danger of detection with arrival of American board members and the return, under subpoena, of Peruvian voters from Chile or Peru. But effect of past deportations can not be removed without return of the deportees and the freeing of these men and their families from the fear in which they live.
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The 700 cases referred to above (about 300 altogether since the award) have been brought to the attention of the American delegation in such a way as to lead the observer or investigator to give credence to the charges. In a number of cases where formal investigation has been possible, the charge has been convincingly established as misconduct, as well as charge that system designed to drive Peruvians from plebiscitary territory was countenanced by officials. It is astonishing how information acquired later fits into and corroborates that obtained by first observers.
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- Lassiter
- Von Tresckow
- Telegram in three sections.↩