Chile and the United States, 1880-1962; the emergence of Chile's social crisis and the challenge to United States diplomacy

491 Pages·1963·32.489 MB·English

by  Fredrick B. Pike

Chile and the United States,
1880-1962
Copyright 1963 by
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
Second Printing, January, 1965
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 63-9097
Manufactured in the United States
To my mother

PREFACE
Chile, with its widely respected tradition of mature conduct of
foreign policy, has long occupied a position of importance in Amer­
ican Hemisphere diplomacy somewhat out of proportion to its
small size (286,396 square miles) and population (less than 7.5
million in i960). It seemed worthwhile, therefore, to study Chilean
attitudes toward and relations with the United States and to
investigate what impact these have had on other Latin-American
countries. To develop this story, it proved necessary' to devote more
space to the internal history of Chile—its social, political, and
economic development and its value judgments and intellectual
currents—than to matters of a strictly diplomatic nature. Only in
this way did it seem possible to show that Chilean diplomacy has
been a natural, organic outgrowth of national attitudes and ex­
periences.
I am grateful to the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable
Foundation for the research grant covering the 1959-1960 aca­
demic year that enabled me to undertake research in Chile. The
University of Notre Dame also conferred a grant which facilitated
research.
The United States Embassy in Santiago extended every possible
aid in arranging interviews and in obtaining permission to use
archival material. It was always helpful to discuss my project with
the amazingly well-informed Public Affairs Officer, Hewson A.
Ryan.
Research involving the use of published sources, books, pam­
phlets, journals, periodicals and newspapers, was conducted largely
in the Library of Congress in Santiago, where the staff presided
over by Director Jorge Ugarte Vial seemed constantly intent upon
making my tasks easier and more pleasant to fulfill. A frequent
visitor to the library, Oscar Smits-Rivera, rendered invaluable assist­
ix
Preface
X
ance upon numerous occasions. The Archives of the Ministry of
Foreign Relations, housed in the National Library of which Guil­
lermo Feliu Cruz is the Director-General, were used extensively.
Samuel Villalobos, Custodian (Conservador) of the National
Archives, and his assistants were helpful and considerate. Archival
material is cited in the footnotes of this book with the abbreviation
AMRE (Archive del Ministerio de Relaciones Exterior es). The
various Memorias of the Ministry of Foreign Relations are referred
to as MMRE (Memoria del Ministerio de Relaciones Exterior es),
together with the appropriate date.
The Committee on International Relations at the University
of Notre Dame sponsored the publication of this book. Committee
chairman Stephen D. Kertesz has offered unceasing assistance and
counsel. I am indebted to him as well as to committee member
M. A. Fitzsimons for having read this manuscript and offered
valuable suggestions.
It was my extreme good fortune to enlist the services of Donald
W. Bray of Los Angeles State College and his wife, Marjorie,
as editorial readers for this manuscript. Their incredibly pains­
taking work, combined with their vast knowledge of Chilean
history, brought about improvements on every page as well as
helpful organizational changes. Dana G. Munro, recently retired
from his teaching duties at Princeton University, generously de­
voted his time to reading the manuscript and many of his wise
suggestions have been incorporated into the final version.
Of course, I alone assume responsibility for the views and opin­
ions expressed in this book, none of which should be construed
as necessarily bearing the approval of any of the individuals or
organizations mentioned above.
The unflagging interest of my mother, June Braun Pike, in the
progress of the work was always appreciated. The assistance of my
wife, Pachita Tennant Pike, was indispensable. Her knowledge
and understanding of Latin-American customs facilitated my work
in Chile, and her wide circle of friends not only in Santiago but
wherever we traveled in Latin America added to the pleasure of
the year abroad. Her cheerful encouragement and patience, espe­
cially on days when research or writing went badly, were always
PREFACE Xi
invaluable assets in carrying the project to completion. I benefited
also from the encouragement which my father, John Pike, ex­
tended and from the uncomplaining understanding of my children,
Paulita, June Sarita, and “Federico,” that writing schedules re­
duced the time I could spend with them in diversion.
Finally, because I do not wish this book to offend my Chilean
friends, I acknowledge that when it alludes to the helpful influ­
ence that the United States could begin to exercise upon Chile,
it often contrasts the best features of life in the United States
with the worst in Chile. To help restore balance to the picture,
I profess my gratitude to the people of Chile. By their ability to
enjoy life through inward resources, by their graciousness, sponta­
neity, and respect for culture, they taught me the tragedy of the
situation in which they and their fellow Latin Americans seem fated
for the present to be influenced by, rather than to exert influence
upon, the United States.
Fredrick B. Pike
South Bend, Indiana
June, 1962

CONTENTS
PREFACE ix
INTRODUCTION xix
i A GLIMPSE OF CHILEAN DEVELOPMENT
FROM INDEPENDENCE TO 1880 1
INTRODUCTION: Political Stability and Economic Prog­
ress 1
Chilean Criticisms of the Patterns of National Development 2
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Mineral Wealth and So­
cial Transition 4
Other Aspects of Economic Development 6
Economic Recessions 8
Economic Theory and Lack of United States Influence in the
Chilean Economy 9
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND INTELLECTUAL
FERMENT: The Age of Portales, 1830-1841, and its Dis­
puted Significance 10
Major Trends in Chilean Political Philosophy, 1840-1880 13
The Political Arena, 1840-1880 16
The Social Import of Chilean Political and Intellectual Devel­
opment to 1880 20
SOME NINETEENTH-CENTURY ATTITUDES TO­
WARD THE UNITED STATES: One Tradition—the Anti­
Yankee, Isolationist Spirit of Portales 23
A Second Tradition—Hispanic-American Union to Thwart
United States Preeminence in the Hemisphere 25
A Third Tradition—the American International Law Ap­
proach to Hemisphere Relations 28
xiii
Contents
xiv
2 CHILE’S DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENT, 1880-1892 31
INTRODUCTION 31
VICTORY, INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT, AND AN
ERA OF EXUBERANT CONFIDENCE: Chileans Respond
to Signs of National Greatness 31
Some Signs of Economic Imbalance 36
INTERNAL DISSENSION AND CIVIL WAR: Pre-Balma-
ceda Bickering 38
I Balmaceda and the Civil War 40
/r 2 / CHILEAN RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED
pZ>/ STATES, 1880-1892 47
THE WAR OF THE PACIFIC: ALARM AND SUCCESS:
Early Rumors and Apprehension 47
Enter James G. Blaine 48
Chilean Alarm over Blaine’s Purposes Intensifies 51
Chileans Puzzle over Motivation for Blaine’s Interventionist
Policies 54
Victory over Blaine 55
Frelinghuysen and a Final Moment of Alarm 58
Final Consequences of War-of-the-Pacific Diplomacy on
United States-Chilean Relations 59
ANOTHER MENACE AND SUCCESS SAGA: THE 1889-
1890 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN
STATES: Background Preparations 62
The Challenge to Chile at the Conference 64
Emergence of Firm Chilean Attitudes toward Pan-American­
ism 65
ANNOYANCE, ALARM AND HUMILIATION: CHILE
DEALS WITH THE UNITED STATES IN 1891 AND
1892: Relations During the Civil War 66
Mounting Tension in the Immediate Post-Civil-War Period
71
The “Baltimore” Affair: the First Stages of the Dispute 73
Enter President Harrison 76
Warnings from Europe 77
Harrison Has the Last Word 79
The Effect of the “Baltimore” Affair on Chilean Attitudes
toward Foreign Affairs 81
4 THE MORE THE COUNTRY CHANGES THE
MORE ITS GOVERNMENT REMAINS THE
SAME: CHILE, 1892-1920 86
YEARS OF POLITICAL FUTILITY: General Political Pat­
terns 86
Some of the “Faces that Pass”: Political Figures in the Parlia­
mentary Period 88