Office of the Historian

721.23/834: Telegram

The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State

Geneva, January 24, 1933—5 p.m.
[Received January 24—2:30 p.m.]

17. 1. The following is the text of a telegram from Peru to the Secretary General, dated January 23:

“In view of the action which the League, in accordance with the functions assigned to it in the Covenant, is taking in the conflict which has arisen between Peru and Colombia by reason of the occupation of Leticia we request the League, in order to safeguard its jurisdictional powers and pending the adoption of a decision, to [Page 421] order the suspension of all measures of force. The Peruvian Government is prepared to respect this order but declines any responsibility should Colombia fail to comply therewith, since this latter country has launched a flotilla on the Amazon for the purpose of attacking Peruvians of Leticia and is also threatening Peruvian territory. For this reason we ask that she should be ordered to cease such aggressive measures, to which Peru is far from having had any recourse whatever. If the League takes this action it will be working for peace which is the aim of Peru as well as of America as a whole.”

2. This places the dispute formally before the League, previous action having been taken on the basis of extra Covenant authority which precedent has granted to the President of the Council.

3. The question was taken up in the Council this morning. Lester informed the Council of steps he had taken as President of the Council with particular reference to his telegram of January 1447 to the two Governments concerned and read the replies that have been received to date including the text from Peru quoted above. The other telegrams have been previously transmitted to the Department.48 The Council approved of the steps taken by Lester. The President then proposed that in answer to the Peruvian request as set forth above that the Council Committee, which is following the Bolivia-Paraguay dispute, should undertake the study of this question and report to the Council. This proposal was approved.

Gilbert
  1. See telegram No. 6, January 16, 2 p.m., from the Consul at Geneva, p. 405.↩
  2. See telegram No. 7, January 18, 11 a.m., from the Consul at Geneva, p. 406.↩