430. Memorandum of Conversation1
SUBJECT
- Peruvian Elections
PARTICIPANTS
- Fernando Berckemeyer, Ambassador of Peru
- The Secretary
- Richard A. Poole, Officer in Charge of Peruvian Affairs, WST/ARA
Ambassador Berckemeyer said he was calling in response to the Secretary’s suggestion in a conversation at a social event earlier in the week, in which the Secretary had expressed his concern over the outlook for the Peruvian elections and had asked the Ambassador to call on him before leaving for Lima. The Ambassador said he would be leaving that same afternoon, accompanying an IFC Mission in his capacity as a Governor of the IFC and that this gave him an opportunity to talk to government leaders and others about the political situation. The Ambassador wished to respond to the Secretary’s earlier remarks by stating that the Junta had made a solemn promise to hold free elections and to respect the results, as he himself had had occasion to confirm in Washington. He saw no other course but to live up to this promise and, while he was aware of disturbing rumors to the contrary, he was confident the Junta would do so. He referred to the communiqué issued by the Junta on May 2, in which the Junta stated that there would be no change in the electoral statute and that the elections would be held without fail on June 9.
When the Secretary asked what the outlook for the electoral race seemed to be and whether there was any danger of extremist elements making a strong show, Ambassador Berckemeyer replied that he felt there was no such danger, as the 1962 elections had proven the country to be politically moderate. He said the vote had been very closely divided between the three principal parties, none of which was extremist; and that the three small extreme left parties had shown very little strength; and this year there are the same three principal presidential candidates and only one small party contender. Of the three principal candidates, the Ambassador thought that Odría had gained the most in the interim, having last year won a surprisingly clear victory in the very important Lima-Calloa area where the “quality vote” is cast, i.e., the intellectuals, business, government servants, industrial labor, etc. He mentioned that [Page 883] Mrs. Odría was a strong asset in the campaign. He thought that there were too many unknowns as far as Belaúnde was concerned and that APRA leadership was now too old.
The Secretary reiterated our interest in the elections and expressed the hope that Peru would get back on the track to progress. He hoped that moderate leadership would emerge to represent the “quality vote” the Ambassador had referred to. He asked the Ambassador to call when he returned from his trip.
(Footnote: In an earlier conversation with a Department officer, the Ambassador had expressed himself in strong terms as being very concerned over the outlook for the elections in the face of rumors that they might be cancelled or that there might be some other form of military intervention. He felt that the Junta must live up to its solemn promise or Peru was “finished.” He said he had “swallowed the pill” last time, but that there would be no excuse this time. While he found Haya and APRA distasteful and would probably not remain as Ambassador were they to come to power, he nevertheless believed that if they won they should be permitted to take office. He mentioned that, at a recent function for the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the President had spoken to him briefly and expressed concern over the outlook in Peru. In the earlier conversation with the Department officer and immediately following his conversation with the Secretary, the Ambassador stated that it was very useful to have these expressions of concern from the President and the Secretary, as he would be able to speak with greater weight in Lima in urging that elections be held and their results respected.)
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 14 PERU. Confidential. Drafted by Poole and approved in S on May 15.↩