Thematic text is san-serif. Philatelic text is italicized. Significant items are highlighted with bright blue mats.

The Leticia IncidentThe Colombian - Peruvian Border Conflict of 1932-1934

The Port City of Leticia History of the port cityThe Combatants Nations and personalities engaging in conflictDeath of a President Assassination and resulting decline of interest in the warThe Peacemakers Nations and personalities engaging in peace effortsThe Commission Commission arrival and activitiesColombia’s Responsibilities Methods and routes to deliver the mailIncoming Commission Mail League of Nations mail to the CommissionOutgoing Commission Mail Official Mail from the CommissionThe League of Nations’ Decision The final determination of Leticia’s status

Exhibit Plan

Exhibit FocusThis thematic exhibit explores the territorial dispute between Colombia and Peru over control of the city of Leticia in Department of Amazonas and the League of Nations involvement in resolving the conflict.

IntroductionLocal Peruvians, angry that Leticia had been ceded to Colombia in 1922, invaded Leticia to regain control of the territory. After nine months of fighting, Colombia and Peru agreed to abide by League arbitration to settle the quarrel. The League sent a Commission for the Administration of the Territory of Leticia to the area for one year. During peace treaty negotiations, a neutral military force under the Commission’s supervision policed the disputed territory.

Exhibit DevelopmentThe story-line progresses chronologically from the initial invasion of Colombian territory by Peru, through peace negotiations, to the League’s final decision to award the city and territory to Colombia.

Importance and RarityThis was the earliest neutral military force under international control for peace-keeping purposes. It remains the model for modern peace-keeping. Only twenty-six examples of official mail to and from the Commission are recorded. Six are in this exhibit.

Commission for the Territory of Leticia, Colombia to Washington, D.C. U.S.A,, December 1933via Bogotá, Colombia, 27 December 1933, League of Nations embossed seal on flap

Surface rate paid by Pan American Union Postal Convention postage paid indicia (violet box)

Eight recorded examples of official mail sent within Pan American Union countries

Brazil

Colombia

PeruLeticia

SouthAmerica

Map ofSouth America

with locationof Leticia,Colombia

Pan American postage paid indicia

Colombia - Ministerio de Relaciones ExterioresCORRESPONDENCIA OFICIAL

Franquicia Postal Panamericana

100 Miles

The Port City of Leticia

Leticia is the capital of the Department of Amazonas, a trapezoidal shaped area on the banks of the Amazon river. It lies at a point called the Three Borders where the countries of Colombia, Brazil and Peru meet. Founded by Peruvian ship captain Benigno Bustamante in 1867, he named the city San Antonio. Later that same year, the city was renamed Leticia by Peruvian engineer Manuel Charón for Miss Leticia Smith of Iquitos, his wife.

Iquitos, PeruWaterlow & Sons, Ltd. Specimen punch hole

Reduced copy of card reverse

Post card depicting Peruvian soldiers and military post in Leticia, Peru,Iquitos, Peru to Paris France, 22 August 1920, 5¢ foreign surface post card rate

(Leticia had no postal facility, mail was sent from Iquitos)

Leticia was a Peruvian port city until 1922 when border incidents resulted in the Salomón-Lozano treaty ceding the Department of Amazonas to Colombia. In exchange, Peru’s claim to an area disputed with Ecuador was acknowledged by Colombia.

Area enlargement

Disputed area of theport city of Leticia

Airmail value

Disputed area of theport city of Leticia

Airmail value

Fabio Lozano TorrijosCo-author of the Salomón-Lozano Treaty

Brazil

Iquitos

Amazon River

(Department ofAmazonas

ColombiaPeru

Leticia

The Port City of Leticia

Leticia became part of Colombia under the Salomón-Lozano Treaty treaty, signed in secret by Peruvian President Augusto Leguia (1863-1932). It was unpopular with a Peruvian population of ~200 in the area.

The port city of Leticia was extremely important for Colombia’s exportation of produce like coffee beans and bananas or their natural resources such as oil, minerals and gold. Colombians were very concerned that if Leticia were to be returned to Peru, they would no longer have a port on the Amazon River for shipping and commerce.

ColombianCoat of Arms

PeruvianCoat of Arms

Inverted overprint

Augusto B. LeguiaOverprinted Specimen

with security holeDepartment of Amazonas

The disputed area

Gold (1935)American Bank Note

Gold (1932)Waterlow & Sons

Oil (1935)American Bank Note

Red color proofon cream paper

Carmine color proofon grayish paper

Bananas for export were shipped from the port of LeticiaAirmail issue of 1932, plate number block of 10, re-value overprint 15 January 1939

Printing dates for plates 1135 (1932), 10339 (1934), 12231 (1936) &12307 (1938)

Coffee bean pickerImperforate proof pair

CoffeeTourism publicity label

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lima, Peru to Brooklyn, New York, 17 May 193220¢ foreign surface letter rate plus 20¢ certificate fee

The Combatants

As in 1922, a local war between Colombia and Peru erupted again in September 1932 when sixty-five armed Peruvian land owners occupied public buildings in Leticia. They expelled or incarcerated 18 police and city officials. Peruvian President Luís Cerro was aware of the lack of Colombian military in the area and decided to support the Peruvian civilians with military action by deploying ground, air and naval forces.

The Peruvian Foreign Ministry argued that the entire affair was only a regional issue to be solved locally.

Gunboat AmericaCentavos currency before 1985

Gunboat AmericaCentimos currency after 1984

Gunboat MarañónAirmail value

Luís Cerro, President of Peru1932 Orange-red specimen block

(design depicted living personand issue was withdrawn)

Peruvian Air ForceWaterlow & Sons, Ltd.Specimen overprint

(bottom center)

The Peruvian aircraft bombed the Colombian gunboat Córdova but the bombs missed the ship or didn’t explode.

Luís Cerro Peruvian President

1934 Vermilion re-issue

Cruiser Almirante GrauBlock of four

Enrique Olaya Herrerra

Colombian Cruiser Marisoal Sucre to Brooklyn, New York, 2 June 1933Mailed shortly after cease-fire declared in May 1933. Colombian War Fleet censorship cachet

Ship captain to his wife and marked airmail, but fee is not paid, Surface letter rate 5¢

The Combatants

Once word of the invasion reached Bogotá, Colombian President Enrique Olaya Herrerra sent 1500 soldiers to repel the invaders. The Air Force was immediately composed of Junkers F-13 seaplanes appropriated from the Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aereos (SCADTA). They included newly mounted machine guns and were flown by experienced pilots.

Navy cruiser CartagenaImperforate

Mis-perforation (top)

Dornier Wal transport seaplane

F-13 delivered with wheels F-13 after conversion to floats

It took a short while to organize a naval response as the trip over the top of South America to the mouth of the Amazon River took three months. The flotilla finally arrived in December 1932.

In addition to Junkers F-13 aircraft, the Colombian Air Force used three Dornier Wals for supply transport and reconnaissance.

R - Registration (red)A - Alemania (Germany)

General Oscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea (1876-1945) was unanimously proclaimed president by the Peruvian Congress and worked quickly to end the resource draining war.

President Luís Cerro made a political speech at the Lima Hippodrome to new Army cadets on 30 April 1933. Shortly after the speech, a dissenting member of the opposition party in the Peruvian Congress, assassinated President Cerro as he left the site. The assassin was killed immediately by police and military forces in attendance. With the assassination of President Cerro, the political impetus for the war disappeared quickly in Peru.

Congress Building, LimaAirmail value

Overprint U.P.U. 1874-1949

Hippodrome (Race Track), LimaLima, Peru to New York, New York, 3 June 1934, 4¢ foreign post card rate

Combat continued into May 1933 unabated. Brazil, acting as an unbiased intermediary, sent Brazilian diplomat Candido Mariano de Silva Rondon to negotiate an interim cease-fire agreement. Both sides agreed and retreated to neutral positions. All F-13 flights were restricted to reconnaissance and transportation only.

Candido Marianode Silva Rondon

Death of a President

Luís Cerro, Peruvian PresidentRevolutionary Union benefit label

Junkers F-13 on reconnaissanceSpecimen overprinted Muster

Oscar BenavidesPeruvian President

The Peacemakers

Eamon de ValeraEamon de Valera (1882–1975), the League of Nations Council President, appointed Guatemala, Ireland and Spain as a Special Committee to recommend a resolution. The committee suggested a temporary Commission. to police the territory during negotiations.

A delayed agreement between the two countries was struck two weeks later with Alfonso López Pumarejo (1886-1959), leader of the Colombian Liberal Party. The agreement specified the League of Nations would mediate the conflict. Both Colombia and Peru, as members of the League of Nations, then appointed the League to act as mediator in finding a permanent resolution to the conflict and to develop a treaty both countries could agree to.

Special Committee Member States

GuatemalaCoat of Arms

IrelandCoat of Arms

Spain Coat of ArmsStraw paper variety

League of Nations, Geneva to the Colombian Legation in Bern, Switzerland, 2 August 19295¢ domestic printed matter rate (newspaper wrapper)

Issue of September 1938Circular overprint (black)Specimen (red) overprint

Issue of May 1938Three line overprint (black)

for official use by the League

Alfonso López PumarejoColombian Liberal Party

Alfonso López Pumarejo. Colombian PresidentNumbered souvenir sheet, Air express value

League of Nations, Geneva

League’s Leticia Commission arrives in Colombia“Barranquilla, Colombia ... The three members of the League of Nations Commission, pictured just before they left here on the last lap, by air, of their trip to Leticia, Colombia, where they settled the dispute between Colombia and Peru over the territory. Left to right an center are, Captain Francisco Iglesias representing Spain; Colonel Arthur Brown of the United States, and Doctor Armando Mencia of Cuba, Secretary of the Commission.” (International News Photo - 22-6-33)

The Commission

Members of the international Commission for the Administration of the Territory of Leticia arrived in Bogotá in June 1933. They continued the journey by air to the city of Leticia on the Amazon River. The Commission included representatives from Brazil, Spain and the United States supporting the Commission’s functions.

Forty-five Colombian soldiers became the League’s police force under the Commissions’s control thus ensuring the cease-fire held. They assisted in improving municipal services and patrolled the region while the treaty negotiations continued.

Capital Building, Bogotá

Commission Member Countries

Statue of LibertyGutter snipe

United States

Spain Coat of ArmsOfficial issue forJudicial Branch

Spain

Brazil Coat of ArmsRevalue overprintmissing 9 and S

Brazil

Colombia’s Responsibilities

Colombia was responsible for all Commission costs including postal services as prescribed in the 1933 cease-fire agreement. International mail routes focused on the northern coastal city of Barranquilla. All incoming Colombian mail routes began there and traveled south, intersecting Bogotá as a transfer point along the way to other destinations. Barranquilla to Bogotá routeBarranquilla

Facsimile (reproduction)

Anniversary of SCADTA, first airline in the Americas Vertical dimensions differ due to perforation spacing

Prior to the conflict, mail to and from Leticia went by boat along the Amazon River between Leticia and Iquitos, Peru. In September, 1933, the river mail route was discontinued.

Military Airmail and Express Mail service route during war

LeticiaIquitos

Colombia

Bogota

Barranquilla

Military ExpressAirmail & Mail route

SCADTAAirmail

route

Brazil

Peru

Venezuela

Seaplane flying river routesAirmail value

Pan AmericanPostal Union

Amazon River route between Leticiaand Iquitos, Peru prior to war

100 Miles

U.S. War Department, Washington, D.C., 20 November 1933to Colonel A.W. Brown of the Leticia Commission, care of the American Legation in Bogotá

received 24 November 1933, forwarded via Military Express, 25 November 1933Penalty clause invalid for international destinations resulting in the use of postage stamps

Airmail rate to Miami = 5¢; plus FAM service to Colombia = 30¢ per 1/2 oz. as of 6/15/1930

Only recorded example of official mail to a Leticia Commission member

Brazil

PeruColombia

Iquitos

Leticia

Incoming Commission Mail

League of Nations (overprinted Swiss issues), Geneva, Switzerland, 30 May 1934from the Comptroller’s office - boxed COMPT. marking to Secretary of the Leticia Commission, Colombia

via Barranquilla, 4 June 1934, received Bogotá, 5 June 1934routed to Military Airmail, 5 June 1934, received by Military Express, Bogota, 8 June 1934

received by Military Express, Leticia, 12 June 1934Colombia via New York City, N.Y. = 30¢ <20 grams surface rate plus 2F airmail fee (2F per 5 grams)

Seven recorded examples of official mail to the Leticia Commission from the League of NationsOnly recorded examples of a department marking COMPT (Comptroller)

and a Leticia military express marking on official mailColombian peacekeepers

League of Nations (overprinted Swiss issues), Geneva, Switzerland, 30 December 1933to Secretary of the Leticia Commissionvia Barranquilla 15 January 1934received Bogotá Air Services, 16 January 1934 Military Express, 16 January 1934forwarded 17 January 1934Columbia via New York City, N.Y.30¢ <20 grams surface rate plus6F airmail fee (3 x 2F per 5 grams) (90c overpaid for convenience)

To prevent mail from going through Peru, the Colombian Air Force began a Military Airmail service to carry mail between Leticia and Bogotá in October.

“Military Airmail Service”“Bogota”

33 mm diameter - DaterMagenta

Observed: December 1933 - June 1934

Outgoing Commission Mail

Mail to and from the Leticia Commission was carried in diplomatic pouch and processed by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bogotá. Mail to countries of the Pan American Union used a boxed handstamp to indicate it was postage paid.

Official mail from Secretary of the Leticia Commission, Colombia, 19 May 1934via Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bogotá, 2 June 1934 to Longvieuw, Washington, U.S.A.

Surface rate paid by franking privilege indicia of the Pan American Union Postal Convention

Eight recorded examples of official mailsent within Pan American Union countries

Leticia Commission to the future Commission SecretarySeñor Carlos Garcia-Palacios at League headquarters

via Military Express Mail, Bogotá, July 1933forwarded from Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bogotá

8¢ <20 grams foreign surface letter rate postage added by Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Entered postal system,18 July 1933to Geneva, Switzerland

Six recorded examples of official mail sent outsidePan American Union countries

Mail to non-member nations was assessed standard rates. Appropriate postage was applied to the mail by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bogotá with a handstamped official seal on the rear side.

“Ministry of Foreign Affairs”35 mm diameter - Seal

Red or MagentaObserved: August 1933 - June 1934

Ministry of Foreign AffairsBogotá, Colombia

Ministry of Foreign AffairsRed specimen overprint

The League of Nations’ Decision

The League of Nations Council awarded the disputed Department of Amazonas territory to Colombia on 19 June 1934 based mainly on the 1922 treaty between Colombia and Peru. Out-classed by Colombia’s military in the region, Peru reluctantly accepted the Council’s decision and Leticia remained a sovereign part of Colombia.

The League of Nations Council members were charged to evaluate the territorial dispute and make a final award of the Department of Amazonas based on the Commission’s detailed reports and the 1922 Salomón-Lozano Treaty.

Leticia, Colombia on thebanks of the Amazon River

(Founder’s monument)Official mail of the British Foreign Office, London to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 4 June 1936

Signed by Anthony Eden (1897-1977), Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and League Council member

DisarmamentLeague overprint

on Swiss value

Edvard Beneš (1884-1948)CzechoslovakiaSeán T. O’Kelly (1882-1966)

Ireland Lord Cecil, Great Britain(1864-1958)

August Zaleski (1883-1972)Poland

League of Nations Council Members