721.23/1053: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil (Morgan)
24. Your 16, February 8, 2 p.m., last paragraph. Department’s No. 22, February 7, 6 p.m. will have shown you the urgency of the [Page 467] situation. Colombian Government states it is impossible to delay sending forward its fleet much longer and if effective action is to be taken Brazilian Government should not delay any longer in formulating its proposal to Peru or to get Peru to modify her conditions in the sense that the Leticia territory now occupied by Peru will be turned over to Brazil to occupy for 60 days while negotiations proceed in Rio on the basis of the original Brazilian proposal and that upon the expiration of the 60 day period, whatever the result of the negotiations in Rio, Leticia will be restored by Brazil to Colombian jurisdiction. It is most important that we receive the actual text of the proposal. This is most important in view of recent misunderstandings regarding exact meaning of given proposals. This Government can not act in Lima or Bogotá until it has the actual text.