WesWorld

Ilo, Moquegua, 8 August 1949

Alan Christensen was a firm believer in “eyes on”, and Charles Robinson had learned his lesson on the thwarted Haquira project to agree with his accountant that a personal reconnaissance of the region was in order. They had booked passage on a vintage coastal passenger steamer that had delivered them the previous afternoon at the port of Ilo. It had once been a bustling harbor in the Nineteenth Century, when windjammers rounding Cape Horn would call before heading north to the markets of California. The construction of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, together with the Panama Canal, had turn the city into a backwater.

But as they began their study the two Americans discovered that there was more than sufficient promise on which to base their hopes. The Peruvian Government had already begun construction of a new pier, south of the ramshackle one dating to the days of sailing ships, and a wide swath of land had been cleared and – so they were informed – was to be developed as part of a deep-water port with industrial suburbs. Dutch and German engineers were overseeing this aspect of Ilo’s future. Construction of a motor highway northward along the coast suggested another avenue of improvement to the city’s communications.

Discussions with local officials disclosed that the level of unemployment within the immediate area was still unacceptably high, and that there would be little difficulty obtaining unskilled or semi-skilled labor for construction of a railroad into the interior. Indeed, the Peruvian Government had already begun to survey potential routes toward the mining area of Toquepala. That evening, in the bar of their hotel in the Plaza de Armas, the two American laid plans to journey by hired car to Toquepala to examine the area for themselves.

BAP Pucalipa, The Ucayali River, 12 August 1949

Since her involvement with clearance of the criminal compound at the old mission San Francisco the Pucalipa had returned to her proper task of providing social services and support to settlements along the middle reaches of the Ucayali River; and this pleased Gordon Magne, her captain. The ship had settled into a routine – sailing downstream, stopping at settlements and providing medical, educational, or other social services to those residing there, and after several days – or in some cases a week – moving on to the next, before reversing course and visiting again the incipient villages or landing stages on ‘her beat’. Upon her return to Pucallpa she would take on supplies, sometimes specialists to augment her regular crew, and then retrace her steps downriver. It was becoming a routine.

This Gordon Magne did not mind. He was fully aware of the importance of their work in developing the long-forgotten interior of the nation. From month to month he could see how landing stages developed into hamlets, and riverside hamlets into villages. Sometimes they would transport a small team of personnel from the Unidad Militar de Asentamiento Rural who would stay for a longer term at a suitable spot and oversee the plantation of a town. According reports two sister ships of the Pucalipa would be built at Iquitos in the north, one to serve the lower reaches of the Ucayali, and one to serve the upper Amazon itself and its northern tributaries along the Colombian border. These developments he could not see come soon enough.

Gran Hotel Bolivar, Lima, 15 August 1949

After their visit to the port of Ilo in the south and their tour of inspection of the mining areas near Cuajone and Toquepala Robinson and Christensen were convinced of the desirability of moving ahead with the joint venture with Krupp to exploit the substantial deposits of the area. The trick would be to balance their own interests with those of their potential German partners and the Peruvian Government; the latter had given strong indication that it would want equity participation in exchange for its investment in ports and communications to open up the area.

Upon their return to Lima they had received a cable from Abs, then in Essen briefing his directors, informing them that he would be returning to Peru shortly and wished to continue discussions with them and the Peruvian authorities. With this promising development, it was agreed that Christensen would return to the States to brief their own directors while Robinson remained to consult with Director Oviedo of the Office of Mineral Development


New Orleans Times-Picayune, 18 August 1949

Today, in the Higgins Industries Industrial Canal shipyard, the keel was laid for the first of three shallow-draft cargo ships on order for the Compania Nacional de Naviera Amazonica Peruana. It is anticipated that the first vessel will be completed early next year, and will inaugurate direct services from our fair city to the upper reaches of the Amazon, delivering American-made goods to speed the development of Peru and its neighbors. Mr. Andrew Jackson Higgins, speaking on the occasion, indicated that he hopes that further orders for this type of vessel might be booked from American shipping firms with sufficient foresight to avail themselves of the growing South American market.

BAP Iparia, Puno, Puno Region, 21 August 1949

The Iparia had returned to Puno after having completed a circuit of the Peruvian settlements along the shore of Lake Titicaca. While his crew saw to the stowage of stores and equipment for their next voyage, Lieutenant Díaz wrote up his report of their initial mission for naval headquarters in Lima. From a technical perspective she had performed particularly well on the sheltered waters of the lake; her shallow draft had allowed her to come close to the communities they were to assist. He peppered his report with observations on where improvements could be made for the future – piers, landing stages, breakwaters – if funding and other resources were ever made available. Doctors and other medical workers, teachers, and agricultural specialists he identified as priorities, in that order, for most of the lakeside villages they had visited.

Díaz was also pleasantly surprised at the progress made on the train ferry Manco Cápac; when the Iparia had departed work on assembling the components of the ferry had only just begun. Now the barge was afloat and her superstructure being erected. At that rate the ferry might be in service before the end of the year. The Dutch engineers had also completed their work refurbishing the small passenger ship Ollanta and she would run her first trials in a few days. Her presence would ease the burden of maintaining communications on the lake and permit the Iparia to remain longer at the more remote lakeshore hamlets.

As he penned this observation Díaz seemed to have forgotten his disappointment at being assigned to the Iparia; rather he had begun to take pride in her accomplishments.

Iquitos, Loreto, 27 August 1949

Consul General Nabuco read the formal response to his last set of cables to the capital with a sense of fatalism. The consular department of the foreign ministry reminded him that his principal purpose was to assist Brazilian nationals in their dealings with the Peruvian authorities and not pester the ministry with “alarmist reports” – their very words. The cable went on repeat that Brazil was doing great things for its people in its far larger share of the Amazon basin – operating hospital and construction vessels on the rivers for years now, which the Peruvians merely aped with their touted ‘social action platforms’. It was reiterated that the increasing flow of commercial traffic on the Amazon, of which Nabuco had spoken at length, was dependent upon Brazilian efforts to improve the state of navigation aids along the lower Amazon – and that perhaps he might pass along that fact to the Peruvian authorities should their pride become too bloated.

He could not deny the essential truth of the ministry’s position – though he would not pass along the subtle rebuke suggested to him. However, in the Tres Fronteras region, what happened downriver failed to count for much; the Peruvian efforts at regional development here overshadowed his countrymen’s efforts elsewhere in the minds of many of his fellow citizens settled on the Peruvian side of the border. They were only too aware of the growth of commerce but the expansion of social services promised – and delivered – by the government in Lima – to an area long neglected.

La Industria (Trujillo), 5 September 1949

The recently formed Rutas Aéreas Peruanas Internacionales has begun operation from Piura with its first Curtiss CW-20 air freighter. Pending delivery of additional aircraft it presently operates three round-trip flights from Piura to Iquitos.

Iquitos, Loreto, 8 September 1949

The German and Peruvian technicians assembling the modular dry dock had nearly finished assembly of the components on hand – what was needed now were the powerful pumps that would empty and fill the tanks that would ballast the dock down to receive a vessel or raise the dock to permit work on her hull to proceed. These, together with auxiliary machinery, spare parts, tools, and a host of small items, were on their way from Europe. Or so Felix Wankel had been assured; this far the home administration of the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst had kept him accurately informed of expected deliveries; as the project neared completion Wankel could not help but fret that something would go wrong.

The compound that had grown up around the part-completed dry dock and its associated facilities had recently been constituted as the Estacion Naval Clavero, and at its northern end new barracks were being constructed for the Peruvian Navy’s marines; the piers for the transport launches had already been finished – the sawmill his technicians had refurbished some months before had furnished much of the timber for them. The formerly muddy track that lay outside the gate of the naval station was in the midst of reconstruction, with bulldozers grading it preparatory to laying down a hard asphalt surface – it even had a name, Aveneda la Marina. There was talk of constructing a new naval hospital on the far side of ‘Navy Road’,

If work on the dry dock was completed on schedule – something he devoutly prayed for – Wankel hoped to be able to return to Germany and resume his work on engine designs. If his work here in Peru had taught him anything, where there was a will, there was a way.

The Peruvian Times (Lima), 14 September 1949

The Office of Mines and Mineral Development announced today that it had approved the grant of a mineral development concessions at Cuajone and Toquepala in Tacna Province to the newly formed Southern Peru Copper Corporation. This firm is a joint venture of the Utah Construction and Mining of the United States and Friedrich Krupp AG of Germany. In announcing the approval Director Juan Oviedo confirmed that the Republic of Peru would hold a twenty percent interest in the new firm.


Diario Oficial El Peruano (Lima), 20 September 1949

The destroyer tender Carrasco was completed today at the Callao shipyard of the Servicios Industriales de la Marina. She is expected to join the fleet next year following her trials and working up period.

Iquitos, Loreto, 22 September 1949

Joaquim Nabuco had left the Brazilian consulate that morning to call upon several of the town’s merchants, his countrymen, in fulfillment of his duties; and it was always useful to pay attention to the tenor of the marketplace. He noted with interest that the Peruvians were continuing to move forward with their efforts to construct a dry dock to maintain their river ships in good condition, and that the third of their ‘social action platforms’ was nearing completion. He would, however, eschew mentioning these developments in his next report. On his way back from the market his passed the kiosk where a young man was hawking the latest newspapers from Lima – and, to his surprise, from Manaus as well; last evening’s steam must have brought them up river. Quickly he snapped up a copy and hurried back to the consulate – fresh news from home was a rarity.

Two hours later he had completed the task of pouring over the numerous articles the newspaper contained – even the advertisements for goods available in Manaus were of interest to him, or to his contacts in the commercial sector. What gave him great satisfaction though were the suggestions that the British-owned Banco de Londres y América del Sur was planning to fund upwards of £200 million in development of the resources of the Brazilian Amazon. Here at last was something that might shift the balance of opinion here on the Peruvian side of the border. Of course, this money would not appear overnight; indeed, there was no guarantee that all of it would eventually make its way to the north. But the fact that the authorities in Rio had recognized the need for greater levels of investment was heartening indeed.

The Peruvian Times (Lima), 26 September 1949

The steamer Ollanta made her maiden round-trip voyage across Lake Titicaca yesterday to inaugurate a daily service between the port of Puno and the Bolivian port of Guaqui. Passenger service on the lake has been disrupted for many years, and its re-establishment is seen as a great step forward in the development of the entire region.

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

The Peruvian Times (Lima), 26 September 1949

The steamer Ollanta made her maiden round-trip voyage across Lake Titicaca yesterday to inaugurate a daily service between the port of Puno and the Bolivian port of Guaqui. Passenger service on the lake has been disrupted for many years, and its re-establishment is seen as a great step forward in the development of the entire region.

What did you do with the previous Ollanta? ?(

Quoted from "Brockpaine"

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

The Peruvian Times (Lima), 26 September 1949

The steamer Ollanta made her maiden round-trip voyage across Lake Titicaca yesterday to inaugurate a daily service between the port of Puno and the Bolivian port of Guaqui. Passenger service on the lake has been disrupted for many years, and its re-establishment is seen as a great step forward in the development of the entire region.

What did you do with the previous Ollanta? ?(

You have the better of me. What previous Ollanta?

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

You have the better of me. What previous Ollanta?

The Ollanta was built in 1930, I believe. But it's just now entering service...?

Quoted from "Brockpaine"

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

You have the better of me. What previous Ollanta?

The Ollanta was built in 1930, I believe. But it's just now entering service...?

It is re-entering service.

I have presumed that during the period between her original entry into service and the present point in game time, she fell out of service (perhaps due to hostilities? I do not know how that part of the Andean War might have worked out in detail) and required reconditioning, which has been previously noted in the Peruvian news. Now she has returned to service.

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

Quoted from "Brockpaine"

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

You have the better of me. What previous Ollanta?

The Ollanta was built in 1930, I believe. But it's just now entering service...?

It is re-entering service.

I have presumed that during the period between her original entry into service and the present point in game time, she fell out of service (perhaps due to hostilities? I do not know how that part of the Andean War might have worked out in detail) and required reconditioning, which has been previously noted in the Peruvian news. Now she has returned to service.

Ah, okay. I interpreted your statement to imply it was a brand-new ship named Ollanta, not the existing ship refitted.

Ollanta was actually used during the Peruvian Civil War: Chilean paratroops actually captured it in Huarina, and it returned to civil service after that point.

Lima, The American Embassy, 28 September 1949

Ambassador Pawley considered the request that lay on his desk quite carefully. The Peruvian Ministry of Defense had requested permission to enter into negotiations with the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation with a view towards purchasing twenty-five of its P-80 jet fighters. Since his arrival in Lima Pawley had achieved much in smoothing the troubled relationship between Washington and Lima, but the history of the Peruvian nationalization of American mining interests still rankled in certain quarters. On the other hand, there were those in Foggy Bottom who were aghast at the growing influence of European powers in Peru’s economy and her military.

In view of Chile’s recent acquisition of manufacturing rights to German-designed fighters for its own air force, and the arrival of other modern military equipment in Peru’s other neighbors, the Peruvian request appeared rational. Despite the current friendly relations among the several neighboring states Pawley understood that a level of parity had to be maintained – particularly with the great unknown – the Iberian Federation – in the background. So he would forward the request to the State Department with his recommendation for approval; and hoped that that the Latin American Desk would concur.

El Popular (Lima), 30 September 1949

The social action platform Atelaya commissioned today at the port of Iquitos in the Loreto Region. The third of four vessels intended to support the development of the upper Amazon and other interior portions of the nation, the Atelaya will bring urgently needed medical and educational resources to indigenous communities. She will work in concert with the Army’s Unidad Militar de Asentamiento Rural. Construction of a fourth modular vessel will commence next month, with the expectation that it will be ready by the end of the year.

The Peruvian Times (Lima), 1 October 1949

The Mollendo-Matarani shipyard of the Servicios Industriales de la Marina has begun work on four vessels for the Peruvian Navy, taking up the yard’s capacity for the next six months. The efforts there comprise construction of two harbor tugs of the Selendon class, intended to supplement the N-1 class vessels currently in service, and two vessels of the Caloyeras class, which are designated as civil support ships.

The Caloyeras and her sister Noguera are intended to respond to the needs of coastal communities in much the same manner of the social action platforms now entering service on the rivers of the interior. They are designed to accommodate a disaster response team, will be fitted with expanded medical facilities, and will carry evaporators and generators to provide potable water and electric power ashore. The will also carry fuel, water, dry stores, and medical supplies.

La Industria (Trujillo), 5 October 1949

State Committee for Economic Development has announced that an agreement has been reached with the Czechoslovak firm Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk to form a joint venture with local partners to establish a factory for the manufacture of automotive diesel engines. The venture is to be known as Motores Diesel Andinos, and will undertake the assembly and progressive manufacture of diesel engine of CKD design at a factory to be constructed in the Ate District of Lima.

Interesting. Trucks, or passenger cars?