723.2515/3205: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Peru ( Hanna )
79. Your No. 115, October 3, 7 p.m. Please see President Leguia and tell him I sincerely appreciate his action in this matter. I am pleased that the work of the Boundary Commission may be suspended for a while, because I feel that it will aid in a settlement.
Please tell President Leguia that I see no reason why this suspension should be considered a diplomatic victory for Chile, since the suggestion came from me and not from the Government of Chile. I made the proposal to both Chile and Peru, and I received the acceptance of Peru before that of Chile. The reason for my proposal is, that if a settlement is made, obviously there is no need for delimiting the boundary between Tacna and Tarata, and, since a most favorable opportunity now exists for a settlement and since all indications are that it will be possible to arrive at a settlement shortly, I desired to remove every possible source of friction that might interfere with such a settlement or make it more difficult. The postponement, therefore, cannot be considered a diplomatic victory for either side but merely as a common-sense arrangement to do everything possible to make conditions as favorable as possible for promoting a settlement.