722.2315/1221: Telegram
The Chargé in Peru (Dreyfus) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:17 p.m.]
68. The communications exchanged between the Presidents of Ecuador and Peru, enclosed with my despatch 672 of September 29th,26 were published this morning in local newspapers and are no longer confidential.
In a conversation yesterday the Foreign Minister informed me that he had interrupted the Washington negotiations when he did because he knew that Ecuador was planning to bring pressure on Peru, just before the meeting of the Pan American Conference, by threatening not to attend. He considered it preferable to avoid this possibility by bringing the matter to a head at once. He stated that Peru will not allow itself to be intimidated by Ecuadorian threats to boycott the Conference but, rather than do so, will submit to its postponement if necessary.
Dr. Concha also indicated his belief that there is some division of opinion in Ecuador between a group of intransigents headed by Viteri and a more reasonable sector including the Ecuadorian Minister in Lima, who is returning today by plane.
He said nothing about the mediation suggested by Ecuador except that he thought some of the statesmen of the countries invited to mediate would try to make personal capital out of the proposal. However, the press today undoubtedly reflects the opinion of the Foreign Office in attacking the suggestion as an attempt to obscure the issue and in indicating that Peru will hold out for the bilateral negotiations suggested in the Presidential notes mentioned above.
- Not printed.↩