723.2515/2183: Telegram
President Coolidge to the President of Bolivia (Siles)
I take pleasure in acknowledging receipt of Your Excellency’s esteemed message dated April 19, 1926. In reply permit me to direct Your Excellency’s attention to the fact that my relation to the matter which forms the subject of Your Excellency’s message is defined by the Protocol of Arbitration signed at Washington on July 20, 1922, by the representatives of the Republics of Peru and Chile, whereby certain questions arising out of the unfulfilled provisions of Article 3 of the Treaty of Ancon between Peru and Chile, dated October 20, 1883, were submitted to me as Arbitrator. I have no other powers or duties than those described in the said Protocol and in the Act supplementary thereto. The negotiations between Peru and Chile which are now proceeding at Washington originated in a tender of the good offices of the United States made by the Secretary of State to the Governments of Peru and Chile with a view to affording the said Governments an opportunity for effecting such adjustment as they might desire to make of the differences between them, outside the terms of the Protocol and of the Award thereunder made by the Arbitrator. Manifestly the ensuing negotiations are confined to the two Governments of Peru and Chile and the Secretary of State advises me that in the absence of any consent to that end by those Governments he does not consider that he can appropriately invite any other government or governments to participate therein.
I take this opportunity of conveying to Your Excellency the assurances of my distinguished consideration.