721.23/1923: Telegram
The Ambassador in Peru (Dearing) to the Secretary of State
Lima, August 1, 1933—3
p.m.
[Received 7:52 p.m.]
[Received 7:52 p.m.]
177. Department’s telegram No. 75, July 26, 1 p.m., Embassy’s despatch 2947 July 29,94 site and initiation Leticia negotiations.
- 1.
- Foreign Minister after a consultation with President informs me Peru is anxious to begin negotiations as soon as possible and only awaits Colombia’s reply to Peruvian suggestion made about a fortnight ago via Peruvian representative at Geneva Lester and Santos site should be Santiago, Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro. Following is translation of a memorandum delivered to Embassy late yesterday.
- 2.
- Please cable whether Department will transmit this to the Colombian Government via our Legation at Bogotá or desires me transmit Spanish text Bogotá directly from here.95
- 3.
- “Memorandum. The Government of Peru in consonance with its own wishes and in conformity with the recommendations of the Council of the League of Nations is prepared to initiate the negotiations for a settlement of the Leticia question. It is consequently in perfect understanding in this respect with the Colombian Government as set forth in the information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia which the Embassy of the United States of America has transmitted in its aide-mémoire of the 27th of the present month.
- 4.
- The suggestion of the Government of Colombia that Geneva might be the seat of the negotiations is open only to the objection that it would be inconvenient to place the settlement of a matter which from its nature is essentially American in a distant city in another continent. The offer of its capital for the meeting of the negotiators which has been made by the Government of Panama calls for the gratefulness and appreciation of the Peruvian Government which feels, however, that reasons of a climatic character might render Panama unsuitable at the present season. As for Washington, D. C., although all desirable conditions are present there the designation of that capital would place too great a burden on the hospitality of the Government of the United States which has so often and so courteously [Page 548] given hospitality to diplomatic negotiators of the various countries of America.
- 5.
- With the purpose of harmonizing all considerations and advantages the Peruvian Government suggests on its part the designation of one of the South American capitals such as Santiago, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, or Montevideo but begs to point out with respect to the last that since the Seventh International Conference of American States96 is to meet there in November of this year the designation of Montevideo might place too great a burden upon the hospitality of the Uruguayan Government.
- Lima, July 31, 1933.”
Dearing