New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-25
Mr.. BLAINE's SOUTH AMERICAN POLICY

Mr.. TREsCOT's RECoLLECTIoNs OF HIS INsTRUc-
TIoN--A LETTER To Mr.. BLAINE
| WASHINGTON. July 24.-With view to clearing
up certain points in the investigation of South
American policy, Mr.. Trescot, late Special Envoy to
Chill. Peru and Bolivia, has addressed to ex-Secre-
tary Blaine the following letter
YORK. Maine July II, 1882.
| The Hon. JAMES G. BLAINE.
| DEAR SIR: | am in receipt Of yours asking me,
as late Special Envoy of the United States 10 the
belhgerents in South America, TO state my khoWi-
edge of certain matters connected with your adni'i-
istratiOn Secretary of State. -,
l. From your formal instructions to me ana the
personal consultations had with you before my de-
parture on that mission. | have never been able 10
see that there any ground for misunderstandihg
or miscOnstrung your position in regard 10 lhe
Credit lndustrie 1t has been consistent through
out as understood ii.
You always expressed yourself to me as desirous
that the Credit lndustriel might, II possible, De
made useful 10 Peru IN her distress But you were
entirely unwilling that the United States should
make the programme of that company part Oh
their own negotiation should assume guarantee
OF the arrangement which 1t might make with lhe
Peruvian Government. You did not favor the
project of prOtectorate over any port OF Soutn
America. Your idea to leave Peru free to nego,
tate with the Credit lndustrie and you Instructed
General Hurlbut and afterwa ds myself to report
the result of such negotiations to the Department
What action might lie beyond was necessarily Tor
the decision OF the Government and its polcy would
In all probability have depended largely upon the
report made by the Minister. As matter OF fact,
neither General Hurlbut myself was ever called
upon TO take any action i'll regard to the Credit l-
dustrlel during our respective missions III oouth
America.
2. As TO your designing war; that supposition is
too absurd for serious consideration. III you had
any such purpose it carefully concealed from
me, and left for South America with tue impress
sion that would have completely failed in my mis-
sion il did not succeed i'll obtaining an anlcaDle
settlement of the differences between the belllger-
ents You will allow me TO add that would nave
declined the mission If l had thought otherwise,
A | nn6 nnI unr OH W "A a
solution of the existing difficulties TO prepare the
way for the meeting of the Peace Congress at ash
ingOn, when you hoped to establish such relations
between the Republics of the two Americas as
would prevent the possibility of future war. But
for the strange miscOnception, for which cannot
account, which reached and misled the ChIlian
Cabinet, through of the leading and iniiuen-
ta papers OF the United states, believe that pur-
pose could have been accomplished under your In
StructIOns.
3. In regard to the Cochet and Landreau claims,
it Is sufficient to say that you rejected the hrst abb
s0lutey. AS to the second you Instructed General
Hurlbut to ask If the proper time for such request
should come, that Landreau should be heard before
q Peruvian tribunal III support OF his claim, anu
that in of peace providing for the ceSslon OF
Peruvian territory, the condition of his claim
should be brought to the attention OF Chill and
Peru. This instruction, stated IN your DISPATCH
made In view OF the fact that numerous claims
oil Europeans for fabulous amounts were being
pressed and you anxious, as you expressed II,
that the OF Peru should not be exhausted
Ill the settlement OF the claims OF foreigners 10 the
prejudice of one belonging 10 an American citizen
This notification would not have interposed an OBJ
stace to the conclusion OF treaty of peace, but
would have simply sgnihed to both parties that its
provisions could not put aside any rights which
Landreau ght be found TO possess after an LII
partial judicial investigation.
Under the restrictions OF your Instructions Gen
eral Hurlbut although himself approving the justice
of Landreau's claim III his dispatch of September IA
1881, never brought IT in any way 10 the consider
alton of the Peruvian Government. During my
ssiOn in South America never referred to ii,
that point OF fact during your Secretaryship the
La maintained
ChIlian Peruvian Government by the Ministers OF
the United States 1t could not, therefore, have at
fected the then pending diplomatic questions in the
remOtest degree. Yours very truly and respectfully
WILLIAM HENRY TRESCOT