723.2515/3349: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Peru (Moore)
46. The exact scope of the proposal by the President of the United States to Chile and Peru contemplated and desired by President Leguia is not clear to the Department from your telegrams. Your 55, March 31, 4 p.m., mentions a “suggestion” by the President. Your 27, March 5, 8 p.m., also mentions a suggestion. Your 69, April [Page 774] 11, noon, speaks of the President offering the compromise as coming from him which both countries would accept. Your 73, April 14, 11 p.m., states that President Leguia would sign no agreement until it had been “submitted” to the President. Your 75, April 16, 7 p.m., contemplates that the President would make “the suggestion of settlement” if both countries agreed beforehand to accept the suggestion, and twice subsequently in the same telegram President Leguia mentions the “suggestion for settlement” as coming from the President of the United States. Your 76, April 19, 10 p.m., speaks of “the compromise suggestion” coming from the President. Your 78, April 21, 11 p.m., states that when the formal acceptance of the Government of Chile is received to the proposal of Peru the papers will be drawn up and will then be transmitted to Washington “for submission to President Hoover for his approval”.
It is important that we should know the intention of the parties as soon as possible. Is it (1) that the President of the United States shall make a suggestion in detail to both countries, giving them the exact wording of the agreement reached by them, or (2) is it contemplated that the President of the United States should merely give an outline of the proposal, or (3) will the proposal in detail be submitted to the President of the United States as Arbitrator by the parties requesting his approval or sanction of the agreement as ending the arbitral proceedings?