723.2515/2415: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Chile (Collier)
107. Since your No. 201, June 8, 1 p.m., was received I have had conference with Ambassador Cruchaga and have also held meeting of the Plenipotentiaries this morning. Late yesterday afternoon Cruchaga presented to me Chile’s specific proposals based on conclusions reached at meeting in Santiago, and this morning laid same proposals before meeting of the Plenipotentiaries.
[Page 476]Substance of proposals is that Chile reiterates her preference for fulfillment of Arbitrator’s award; then follows this by expression of willingness to divide territory, present Department of Tacna to go to Peru and present Department of Arica to go to Chile; third proposition is that of a Bolivian corridor four kilometers wide extending from Bolivian boundary to village of Palos on the Pacific Ocean, this corridor to follow present boundary between Departments of Tacna and Arica so that one-half of the corridor strip would be on each side of it. A proviso is added that at no point shall corridor approach the line of the Arica-La Paz railroad nearer than 10 kilometers. Ambassador Velarde made no reply except to say that he would submit these proposals to Peruvian Government. Meeting then adjourned subject to call of Secretary of State.
Lassiter has full authority to handle situation in his decretion at this afternoon’s meeting of Plebiscitary Commission; I do not doubt that he will give Chilean Commissioner full opportunity to consent to further postponement, but if latter insists upon forcing issue then fate of plebiscite will be met and decided as far as the Commission is concerned.
I shall be glad to have you report any additional information you may obtain on conclusions reached at meeting of notables in Santiago on Monday. I should be especially interested to know if these conclusions were influenced by any representations or recommendations that may have been made from here by Alessandri. It should be understood, in this connection, that Alessandri’s talk with me last Friday was at his request, made through Ambassador Cruchaga. I have reported substance of interview in my No. 105, June 7, 11 a.m., to you. If Alessandri made any recommendation based upon his conversation with me, it could not in any conceivable way have encouraged Chilean Government to take decisions it reached on Monday, except by deliberate misrepresentation of the facts. I did not in slightest manner encourage idea that if negotiations failed and Chile insisted on plebiscite that the plebiscite would go through; the tenor of my remarks was precisely the opposite.