Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, 1931, Volume II

823.01/78: Telegram

The Ambassador in Peru (Dearing) to the Secretary of State

Lima, May 15, 1931—2 p.m.
[Received 7:25 p.m.]

224. Department’s telegram No. 30, May 8, 6 p.m.

1. General. The present Peruvian Government weathered the crisis of March 23 and comes through the present general strike and its political complications intact. It has at present the support of the Army, Navy and police and the acquiescence of people in general and seems likely to continue for the immediate future.

2. Army attitude. All the information I can secure indicates that the morale of the Army is improving. With the removal of the communistic non-commissioned officers after the trouble of March 23, a better feeling and better discipline have prevailed. Recently some doubt has existed as to the troops in the South who rather truculently informed the junta, it must prevent the return of Sanchez Cerro to Peru but in the absence of any other threatening situation I do not expect an early movement within the Army for the overthrow of the Government.

3. Recognition by non-Latin American Governments. Spain, Sweden and France have formally recognized the present Peruvian Government. Great Britain is on the point of regularizing relationships in the manner indicated in my 196, April 3 [23], 11 a.m.,²¹ and Japan expects to take similar action. All desire merely to facilitate intercourse.

4. Attitude of the Latin American countries. The Ambassadors of Chile and Argentina acknowledged the junta’s note of March 11th, enclosure No. 10 with my despatch 542 of March 17th,²² reciprocating its declarations. They inform me that having accepted the theory of the junta that it is but a continuation of the revolutionary movement initiated August 1930, Chile and Argentina consider that full diplomatic relations exist with the present Peruvian Government and are acting accordingly. Most other Latin American countries and the Papal State take the same position and feel that no special recognizing action on their part is necessary.

5. Position of United States. It seems to me we have only to consider what is generally and normally desirable and our own interests and convenience. I can see nothing whatever to be gained by not informing this Government that we will continue full diplomatic relations with it and accordingly beg most respectfully to make again the recommendations made in my number 624, April 12. It is quite as desirable to maintain full diplomatic relations with this Government as it was with that of Sanchez Cerro and probably more so. We need a regularized relationship for the conduct of our business as for instance in the Sutton case,²³ in which the Department has directed me to make formal written representations to this Government and I believe we should immediately put it in a responsible relationship to us and informing it we will continue full diplomatic relations. Under its theory it considers itself in such a relationship but we do not.

6. Effect of establishing full diplomatic relations. In my opinion to accord full diplomatic relations will tend to stabilize conditions in Peru and by regularizing our intercourse will greatly facilitate our current business. Even though the junta should soon disappear, I would still follow this course as the best and most logical in the circumstances. There is nothing to be gained by leaving in the way obstacles which can be removed. Moreover I believe we should act at once as our delay in Peruvian eyes is somewhat at variance with what is expected of us in view of our recent declarations regarding de facto recognition²⁴ and makes our intercourse, which we of course intend to continue, awkward instead of easy.

7. British attitude. The British Minister has just called on me to say he has instructions from his Government first to inform me and then to say to the junta that Great Britain does not consider recent changes in the Peruvian Government to have altered the diplomatic relations between the two countries. I informed the Minister I was on the point of sending this message and he said he would wait a day or two before carrying out his instructions. He indicated that Germany and Belgium are waiting on his lead and asked me to let him know the Department’s instructions in reply to this message.

8. Japanese attitude. My Japanese colleague has also called, saying that the British Minister had consulted him and that he favored early recognition, since various business which has come up has been rendered awkward by the undetermined and casual relationship prevailing at present.

As in my own case, my colleagues have been awaiting the termination of the strike to act.

Dearing

21. Not printed.
22. Not printed.
23. Mr. Charles W. Sutton, an American engineer, had been imprisoned without civil or judicial warrant by the military junta (423.11 Sutton, Charles W.).
24. See press release issued by the Department of State on September 17, 1930, Foreign Relations, 1930, vol. i, p. 387.