723.2515/694
The Ambassador in Peru (Gonzales) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 7.]
Sir: Referring to my cablegram of September 13th, 11 a.m.98 I have the honor to report with more detail concerning the visit of Puga Borne to Lima. The principal part of the story was told me by the President and is corroborated in important particulars by information received from the Brazilian Minister to Perú.
Señor Borne is nearing seventy years of age and has had long service in Chilean political and diplomatic life. He arrived unheralded and took quarters at an hotel. Quickly interviewed by representatives of the press, he said he had come for a change of climate. President Leguía was satisfied that Puga Borne had some mission and expected him to develop the purpose of it either through me, or, if he did not desire to await my return from Cuzco, through the Brazilian Minister. Instead, the Chilean went to the Prefecto, as recorded in the cablegram referred to above. The President was offered a copy of Señor Borne’s credentials from the President of Chile, but asked for the original and it was furnished. These stated that as the Chilean President knew President Leguía had expressed himself as anxious for an opportunity to open negotiations respecting the differences between the countries, the Chilean President requested Puga Borne to discuss those matters with him. President Leguía replied that as he had never so expressed himself he could not concede that he had done so by receiving the Chilean on those terms.
Señor Borne then visited Señor Ruiz Bravo, Editor of El Tiempo and also a member of Congress; They were old acquaintances. He expressed to Bravo his great disappointment at not being able to meet President Leguía: Said he had served his country during a long career and now as the crowning work wished to do the great service of bringing about an understanding with Peru; that he had ample [Page 348] powers and could get his letter changed if he knew what Leguía wanted. Bravo went to the President who drew a letter which, coming from the Chilean President, would be acceptable to him as an introduction for Borne. I have not the terms of this letter, but it was cabled to Santiago, …
In reply to Puga Borne the Chilean President made changes in his commission but not those proposed by Leguía. He stated that he desired to open direct discussion. President Leguía declined to open direct negotiations. He tells me his reason for this position is twofold; first, he is absolutely convinced no good result could be obtained, and possibly a dangerous situation would follow; second, that he feared a trap. If he agreed to direct discussion, this might be prolonged indefinitely and would be a bar to any other country attempting to secure Chile’s consent to submit the question to some tribunal for settlement. Chile would say the good offices of a third party were not needed as the two countries interested were treating directly. President Leguía expressed the view I had previously given the Department as mine; viz, that nothing could be hoped for from direct negotiations because whatever would be agreed to by the people of one country would not be tolerated by those of the other.
President Leguía declared to me he was willing for arbitration, but said that arbitration by one or more representatives of weak countries, without the moral or material strength to enforce their finding, would be repudiated. He is plainly desirous of having arbitration of the whole question with the United States either as the sole arbiter or at least represented on the board.
As expressed in cables on this subject, I feel the coming of Puga Borne is in strong confirmation of Minister Maginnis’ opinion that the time is propitious to obtain Chile’s consent to arbitration. Chile’s general attitude has been that she would not submit to “intervention” and was able to manage her own affairs without interference. She should be readily convinced that the friendly office of mutual friends in this case is not intervention. She has failed in an effort to treat directly with Perú. Meanwhile her internal conditions are far from satisfactory and the normally heavy burden of her military establishment has been embarrassingly increased by the extraordinary mobilization and movement of troops in the past three months.
In my opinion at no time has there been so hopeful an outlook to secure Chile’s consent to participate in arbitration for a settlement in the forty years since the Chile–Peruvian War.
I have [etc.]
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