825.24/395: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Chile ( Bowers )
306. Your 436, March 17, 9 p.m. The War Department has now sent Colonel Sackville detailed instructions by both air mail and telegraph, emphasizing the political considerations in this arrangement and the necessity for eliminating all sources of friction. The War Department, of course, assumes that in view of the instructional capacity of the United States forces, the Chilean authorities will wish to provide them with such limited administrative authority as may be necessary to supervise the setting up of the batteries and the instruction of Chilean forces in their operation. Anything beyond this authority over mechanical operations would be presumably in the realm of tactical jurisdiction. The War Department’s instructions to Sackville have been summarized as follows for your information:
“Each battery will operate under the immediate administrative jurisdiction and command of the senior U. S. Army officer present at each locality. For tactical functioning, all four batteries, under the command of Colonel Sackville, will be under the general supervision of the Commander in Chief of the Chilean Army, or his duly authorized representative at each locality. In case of any difficulty relative to the tactical control or disposition of his unit, final decision will rest with the Commander in Chief of the Chilean Army.”