722.2315/747
The Ambassador in Peru (Dearing) to
the Acting Secretary of State
No. 2891
Lima, June 27, 1933.
[Received July
8.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the
Department’s telegraphic instructions No. 67, June 2nd, 3 p.m.,15 directing me to present to the Peruvian
Government an aide-mémoire on the subject of the
desire of the Ecuadorean Government to take part in the negotiations for
the settlement of the dispute between Peru and Colombia. I refer the
Department to my despatches Nos. 2848 of May 26th, 2788 of April 27th,
2859 of June 5th, 2875 of June 16th, and 2877 of June 18th on this
subject.16
The Embassy has just received from the Foreign Office a memorandum
commenting upon our aide-mémoire, in which the
Peruvian Government states that the circumstances do not permit of a
tripartite negotiation but that it is prepared to negotiate directly
with Ecuador regarding the boundary between the two countries.
[Page 573]
The memorandum of the Peruvian Government in original and in translation
is enclosed herewith.
Respectfully yours,
[Enclosure—Translation]
The Peruvian Ministry for
Foreign Affairs to the American
Embassy
Memorandum
The Government of Peru has given careful consideration to the
exposition made by the Embassy of the United States of America in
Lima, in a memorandum dated the 3rd instant, of the desires of the
Ecuadorean Government that its boundary question with Peru may be
quickly settled by taking part in the negotiations which are to take
place between Colombia and Peru for the settlement of the Leticia
question.
The Peruvian Government animated by feelings toward Ecuador which are
invariably friendly would have been disposed as it was in 1894 to
participate in a tripartite negotiation with Colombia and Ecuador
for the arrangement of differences as to boundaries which were then
pending between the three countries.17
But since the situation which existed in 1894 has changed
fundamentally on account of the fact that Colombia and Ecuador in
1916 settled their boundary differences by a treaty18 which has been
carried out in all its parts and Peru and Colombia also have reached
similar agreement under the Treaty of March 24, 1922, it would not
now be juridically possible to seek a joint solution of the question
which has been partially solved by arrangements both special and
direct on the part of some of the interested parties.
Notwithstanding this the Peruvian Government is glad to confirm the
declarations which it has made to the Government of Ecuador in the
sense that it is disposed to proceed at once to the negotiation of a
direct arrangement which in friendly and equitable form shall
terminate definitely the agelong dispute about boundaries which
continues pending.
The Government of Peru desires to add that it appreciates in all its
friendly significance the attitude of the Government of the United
States in making the recommendation contained in the memorandum of
the American Embassy of the 3rd of the present month.
