723.2515/3371: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Peru (Moore)
56. Your 94, May 9, 2 p.m. You may tell President Leguia that I of course do not wish to cause him difficulty regarding my proposal which was made merely because the question of a port at Las Yaradas has already been settled by agreement between the two parties. If President Leguia considers the insertion of this clause necessary in order to win the support of public opinion in Peru to the arrangement, I would be willing to leave the first paragraph of the proposed preamble as submitted by the Peruvian Ambassador.
With regard to the insertion of the words “in the exercise of informal and unofficial good offices” the Peruvian Ambassador called today and, after stating that President Leguia was most anxious to have paragraph one of the preamble remain as presented, said that he was most insistent upon the deletion of the words “informal and unofficial” in the phrase quoted above. If President Leguia insists on this point, you may agree to it also, and the insertion in the second paragraph would then read “in the exercise o good offices”. When this has been [Page 797] agreed upon you will please suggest that the Peruvian Ambassador in Washington be authorized to make this change and submit to the Department a new memorandum either containing the modification or agreeing to the insertion of the words above quoted in the memorandum presented by him on May third.
In order to avoid any possible misunderstanding, the following is the English translation of the agreement between Peru and Chile which the President proposes to use in making his proposal:
[Here follows text of memorandum identic with translation of memorandum presented to President Hoover by the Governments of Chile and Peru on May 14, printed on page 798.]
Please obtain President Leguia’s agreement to this translation.