Office of the Historian

721.23/2241: Telegram (part air)

The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State

Geneva, April 26, 1934—noon.
[Received April 27—11:25 a.m.]

236. Department’s 140, April 12, 6 p.m. and my 235, April 12, 6 p.m.

1.
The Secretariat has no further word from either the British or Brazilians regarding negotiations. The Secretariat is inclined to discount the accuracy of the optimistic reports.
2.
A meeting of the Consultative Committee is called for May 2d.
3.
In this connection a member of the Secretariat called yesterday to explain the present trend of the League of Nations views with regard to the situation leaving a confidential memorandum on the subject which is being sent to the British, French and Italians as well. Copy is going forward by mail.
4.
The principal interest in the memorandum as well as the verbal explanation lies in the tendency of the League toward a realistic point of view to the effect that the disposition of the Leticia territory is the essence of the dispute. The suggestion is made that Perú and Colombia might agree to negotiate on the basis of exchange of the Leticia Trapezium for the right bank of the Putumayo; that meanwhile the mandate of the Leticia Commission should be extended for a period of not to exceed 6 months; that a statement should be made at the time of the extension of the mandate; that the territory would be handed over by the Commission to the Colombian Government on December 23d unless prior thereto other arrangements for [Page 346] its disposition were decided upon by the two parties; and that it would be understood that the Commission should afford the Colombian Government adequate facilities for the garrisoning of Leticia a sufficient time prior to the end of the, mandate if it then appeared that no agreement would likely be arrived at.
5.
The Secretariat hope that if the British, French, Italian and United States Governments favor this suggestion that they will instruct their representatives at Lima and Bogotá to adopt this point of view and avail themselves of any occasion informally to discuss it with the two Governments concerned.
Wilson