Evening star., 1951-04-22

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paper, Ell Comercio, chief sup
porter of the administration of
President Manuel Odria, launched
a wholesale attack on Chile for
what it calls that country's wars
of aggression and conquest" which
resulted in Chile taking large slices
of territory from Peru in the WAR
of the Pacific"
President Odria himself gave out
"a carefully prepared statement
pointing out that "the status of
this territory and the frontier be-
tween Peru and Chile has been
determined by the treaty of 1929,
and its supplementary protocols.
mo modification or alteration in
these treaties he declared, "can
be made without the participation
or concent of Peru" The Peru
Wan President also pointed out
that 'the waters of Lake Titicaca
for half century have belonged
to Peru and Bolivia and any dis
IpoSal and utilization of them must
be determined wholly and ex-
clusively by these two countries"
Rouses Anti Elements
The incident has been particu-
larly embarrassing to DR.. Horacio
Walker, the Chilean Foreign Min
iSter. Because he had allowed
himself to be drawn into the re-
cent discussions with Bolivians
concerning their desires for COR
ridor to the sea, powerful elements
|of the Chilean Congress had OBJ
|jected to his being sent to repre-
sent their nation at the Washing
ton meeting. Only strong rep
Presentations to the various groups
by President Gonzalez himself
made it possible for the minister to
receive congressional permission
to take part in the consultations.
According to Chilean law. not even
"a cabinet member can absent
himself from the republic without
special consent of the Congress.
Meantime, DR.. Walker had been
invited to make an official visit
Ito Lima on his return trip home
from Washington. Peruvian news
paper attacks on Chile caused
various officials in Santiago to
Suggest that DR.. Walker decline
this invitation.
Not only have certain news
papers. along with political and
business leaders in Chile de-
nounced President Truman, but
anti United States elem ZEN t S
throughout the country, as well as
the Communists, are on the war
path against Uncle Sam and all
his works. There had already been
serious opposition from some of
the more conservative and ma
tionalistic groups to the program
Iof cultural cooperation between
this country and Chile under the
point-four program. The present
controversy aggravated the situa-
Ition. The Communists seized
upon both the Presidents speech
land the cultural program to agi-
tate against Yankee imperial
ists." In fact, the State Depart
ment has had to agree to a cur
tailment of various of these ac-
tivitieS.
I At first the Bolivians received
considerable satisfaction out of
the incident. Their spokesmen at
the Washington gathering praised
president Truman for his great
humanitarian interest and atti-
Itude in behalf of Bolivia's long
desire for free access to the out
side world. The Foreign Minister
in La PaZ also issued a communi-
Ique praising the attitude of Chile's
lchief executive for recognizing the
need for resolving the problem.
But the minister's generous i'm
pulse toward Chile was soon
dashed to the ground. The
: Chilean government suddenly i'm
posed what the Bolivians cal
'immoderate increases" in various
charges-fees for the use Of docks
lighters and other facilities al
the ports of africa and Antofa.
gasta. According to the La Pa
5 government, the rates have gone
Iup anywhere from 500 to 1,00(
per cent" above previous charges
i and the Bolivian Minister of For.
-leign Affairs has sent a vigorous
, Iprotest to Santiago.
: Such are the repercusSions thai
/ may follow in the wake of state
mans careless, if innocent, re-
, i'm