723.2515/2299: Telegram
The Ambassador in Peru (Poindexter) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 16—10:20 a.m.]
59. Your 50, May 15, noon. Minister for Foreign Affairs has just advised me that instructions in accordance with the President’s written memorandum cabled to you my 58, May 14, 9 a.m., were cabled Ambassador Velarde at 7:30 p.m., May 14th. Your understanding of the President’s verbal proposal for division of the province as stated in your 49 is entirely correct. Under that plan the city of Arica would be allotted to Peru, that is, all north of the corridor proposed to be ceded to Bolivia would be Peruvian and all south would be Chilean. I did not go over this matter in my last interview with the President and his previous statement on the subject was very clear. The President means by the “formula of negotiation” simply the general proposition as proposed by you as a basis of negotiations in your 49, May 12, 2 p.m., namely, that the provinces should be divided by granting to Bolivia a corridor to the sea with the remaining areas to the north and south to be allotted Peru and Chile, respectively, leaving all details to be discussed in the negotiations. The expression “Peru ratifies the promise made to Bolivia to grant to her in the plebiscitary territory a corridor to the sea,” I understand to be merely the President’s manner of expressing his agreement to this portion of your proposition. President Leguía has several times publicly stated as heretofore reported to the Department, his willingness to make such an arrangement and now confirms it in the memorandum referred to and agrees to that as one feature of the basis of negotiations for a settlement of the problem. As to your “what disposition is contemplated for the city of Arica,” that this [is] not provided for in the President’s memorandum but with all other details was left to be settled by negotiation within the terms of the general agreement. I did suggest to the President, however, that it might not be possible to secure an agreement for the return of Arica to Peru but that the neutralization of Arica might be proposed. While the President did not agree to this, I feel satisfied that should this proposal be raised in the negotiations the President would be willing to discuss it. Also proposal to include the city of Arica in the Bolivian corridor would come within the terms of the President’s memorandum as a detail if you could have discussion.