721.23/725
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (White)
I got Mr. Caffery16 on the phone about half past two and told him that I had just been advised by Ambassador Morgan in Rio17 that Peru having rejected the first Brazilian proposal—namely that Peru turn over Leticia to Brazil, Brazil then to return it to Colombia, and negotiations then to take place in Rio to try to settle outstanding differences—a second proposal had therefore been made by Brazil, namely that the conversations take place while Leticia is in the hands of Brazil, and that this had been accepted by Colombia. Brazil was specifying a time limit of three months for the negotiations because it did not want to hold the territory longer. I said that Mr. Morgan advised me that the Peruvian Government was endeavoring to have the Brazilian Government promise that if the negotiations failed Brazil would return Leticia to the Peruvian rebels but that the Brazilian Government did not wish to do so as Leticia is unquestionably Colombian. The Brazilian proposal is to have negotiations carried on as soon as Leticia is handed over to the Brazilians without any stipulation as to what should be done with it should the negotiations fail. This Government has been asked to support this proposal in Lima and I wanted to check up first to know whether this proposal has been accepted, as reported, by Colombia.
Mr. Caffery said he was pretty sure that it had not; that nothing of this sort had been accepted when he saw President Olaya last night, but that he would get in touch with him at once and send me a brief cable. I told Mr. Caffery that we would hold up sending the note which we had drafted to the Peruvian Government pending word from him. He said that he would get after the matter at once and let me know.