Office of the Historian

723.2515/3283: Telegram

The Ambassador in Peru (Moore) to the Secretary of State

Lima, March 11, 1929—5 p.m.
[Received 11:11 p.m.]

28. The Chilean Ambassador today showed me the proposal from Chile. It is evident that the Chileans have not seen the engineers’ report.

While on the face of it, it appeared that the shortest distance between the La Paz and Tacna railroads was 20 meters, this conclusion was reached because the engineers figured that the present tracks of the Tacna railroad would still continue to Arica. This is not the case. With the new port a part of the Tacna railroad from the new terminal to the present Arica station would be abandoned.

Assuming the port as proposed in engineers’ report to be built, the following would be the distance:

1.
The shortest distance between the Tacna railroad and the La Paz railroad is 230 meters.
2.
The distance from the south end of the port terminal to Velasquez barracks is 300 meters.
3.
The distance from the last (farthest south) track of the Tacna railroad entering the port terminal, to the Velasquez barracks is 1,030 meters.
4.
The distance from the existing north pier in Arica Bay to the southern end of the new port terminal is 1,300 meters.

It would be possible to move the proposed port 300 meters north in which case the distances would be as follows:

1.
The shortest distance between the Tacna railroad and the La Paz railroad will be 350 meters.
2.
The distance from the south end of the port terminal to the Velasquez barracks will be 550 meters.
3.
The distance from the last (farthest south) track of the Tacna railroad entering the port terminal, to the Velasquez barracks will be 1,330 meters.
4.
The distance from the existing north pier in Arica Bay to the southern end of the new port terminal, will be 1,600 meters.

This answers at least to some extent the objections set forth in the Chilean proposition. The engineers say that it is not possible to locate a port farther north.

Am repeating this cable to Santiago.

Moore