Itata Incident
Encyclopedia
The Itata Incident was a diplomatic affair and military incident involving the United States
and Chile
an insurgents during the Chilean Civil War
in 1891. The incident concerned an arms shipment by the Chilean ship Itata from the United States to Chile, to assist insurgent Congressionalist forces in the Chilean Civil War
. The Itata Incident was one of the causes of the Baltimore Crisis
and is one of the reasons that Benjamin Harrison
was not reelected to a second term as President of the United States
.
nitrate
interests, the Chilean National Congress
refused to sign the national budget proposed by Chilean President José Manuel Balmaceda
. Balmaceda then dissolved Congress. The Navy
sided with the Congress. The Chilean Army
and others sided with President Balmaceda. An armed conflict ensued.
Supporters of the Congress, including members of the dissolved parliament and their backers among multinational nitrate interests, purchased weaponry from Europe
and from the U.S.. Supported by the navy, these forces rapidly captured Chile's northern provinces, many of which had recently been conquered from Bolivia
and Peru
during the War of the Pacific
.
James Blaine for assistance. Blaine initially rebuffed Lazcano but later, with the support of his soon-to-be successor John W. Foster
and against the advice of Third Under Secretary of State John Basset Moore, agreed to aid the Balameda administration. Moore resigned in protest at Blaine's decision.
. With the advice of William Russell Grace
, whose nitrate company had relocated from Peru
to New York in the 1860s and who had twice served as New York City mayor, Trumbull purchased for the Congressionalists some of the latest in American arms technology, including Remington rifles. He had the weaponry rail freighted to the Port of Los Angeles
. The schooner Robert and Minnie transferred it to the Chilean steamer Itata while sailing near San Clemente Island
.
, a US warship sent out after the Itata from San Francisco, reached the Mexican harbor at Acapulco
by May 16, neither having intercepted the Itata.
The Charleston left Acapulco to join with other US ships, including the San Francisco
and the Baltimore
, and an international contingent including warships of the Royal Navy
and the Imperial German Kaiserliche Marine
to await the Itata at the Chilean harbor of Iquique
. There, on June 4, U.S. Navy Rear Admirals W.P. McCann and George Brown
convinced the Chilean Congressional rebels to give up the Itata and its cargo of around 5,000 rifles. Ironically another arms shipment from the vessel Maipo with a load of German-made Krupp
arms and munitions arrived at Iquique on July 3, making the Itatas cargo unnecessary to the Congressionalist cause.
After its surrender, the Itata was brought back to San Diego with its crew. The Harrison
Administration appointed William Howard Taft
, the US Solicitor General (and later U.S. President), and Los Angeles
-based federal prosecutor Henry Gage
(later Governor of California
), to investigate the Itata and prosecute its crew and suppliers.
Following his investigation Gage declined to prosecute the crew, stating his belief that the federal government had made an error regarding the matter. He also stated that he believed that the arms shipment constituted private property, and was outside of the federal government's direct jurisdiction.
Taft did prosecute the cases against the arms and against the ship; however, the U.S. government lost in each instance in the courts.
Ultimately the Chilean congressionalists succeeded in their ouster of the Balamaceda administration and, in 1901, the Chilean steamship company which had charted the Itata to the congressionalist authorities brought a case against the United States for the ship's detention, claiming the ship had acted on behalf of the legitimate provisional government. The United States and Chilean Claims Commission ruled that the seizure had been justifiable, and that US authorities had had probable cause in holding the Itata at San Diego.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an insurgents during the Chilean Civil War
Chilean Civil War
The Chilean Civil War of 1891 was an armed conflict between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the sitting President, José Manuel Balmaceda. The war saw a confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy, which had sided with the president and the congress, respectively...
in 1891. The incident concerned an arms shipment by the Chilean ship Itata from the United States to Chile, to assist insurgent Congressionalist forces in the Chilean Civil War
Chilean Civil War
The Chilean Civil War of 1891 was an armed conflict between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the sitting President, José Manuel Balmaceda. The war saw a confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy, which had sided with the president and the congress, respectively...
. The Itata Incident was one of the causes of the Baltimore Crisis
Baltimore Crisis
The Baltimore Crisis was a diplomatic incident that took place between Chile and the United States, during the Chilean Civil War, as result of the growing American influence in Pacific Coast region of Latin America in the 1890s. It remains a nodal event because it marked a dramatic shift in United...
and is one of the reasons that Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
was not reelected to a second term as President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Background
In 1891, after a series of struggles with the multinationalMultinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
nitrate
Nitrate
The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
interests, the Chilean National Congress
National Congress of Chile
The National Congress is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Chile.The National Congress of Chile was founded on July 4, 1811...
refused to sign the national budget proposed by Chilean President José Manuel Balmaceda
José Manuel Balmaceda
José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was the 11th President of Chile from September 18, 1886 to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile...
. Balmaceda then dissolved Congress. The Navy
Chilean Navy
-Independence Wars of Chile and Peru :The Chilean Navy dates back to 1817. A year before, following the Battle of Chacabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".This led to the...
sided with the Congress. The Chilean Army
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....
and others sided with President Balmaceda. An armed conflict ensued.
Supporters of the Congress, including members of the dissolved parliament and their backers among multinational nitrate interests, purchased weaponry from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and from the U.S.. Supported by the navy, these forces rapidly captured Chile's northern provinces, many of which had recently been conquered from Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
during the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
.
Washington
The Chilean foreign minister (of Balmaceda) Prudencio Lazcano approached United States Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
James Blaine for assistance. Blaine initially rebuffed Lazcano but later, with the support of his soon-to-be successor John W. Foster
John W. Foster
John Watson Foster was an American military man, journalist and diplomat.Born in Petersburg, Indiana, and raised in Evansville, Indiana, he was first a lawyer and then served as general for the Union in the American Civil War. Following the war he worked as a journalist, editing the Evansville...
and against the advice of Third Under Secretary of State John Basset Moore, agreed to aid the Balameda administration. Moore resigned in protest at Blaine's decision.
The U.S. arms shipment
Meanwhile Ricardo Trumbull, an agent of the Chilean Congressional insurgents, was dispatched to New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. With the advice of William Russell Grace
William Russell Grace
William Russell Grace was the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York City and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company.-Biography:He was born on May 10, 1832 in Ballylinan, County Laois, Ireland....
, whose nitrate company had relocated from Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
to New York in the 1860s and who had twice served as New York City mayor, Trumbull purchased for the Congressionalists some of the latest in American arms technology, including Remington rifles. He had the weaponry rail freighted to the Port of Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
. The schooner Robert and Minnie transferred it to the Chilean steamer Itata while sailing near San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...
.
San Diego
Before the Itata could rendezvous with the Robert and Minnie she was detained on May 6 at San Diego harbor on the orders of John W. Foster. Marshal George Gard took charge of the ship, but Gard allowed the Itata to remain under steam and in mid-stream, ready to sail, during her detention. At 5:30 pm on May 7 the Itata lifted anchor and left San Diego against US orders, while Gard was out in the harbor searching for the Robert and Minnie, which had been sighted the previous day in nearby Mexican waters. US national newspapers subsequently reported a claim by Marshal Gard, who had been aboard the Itata when she sailed and was put ashore by its crew the same evening at Ballast point, that the ship was loaded with Chilean soldiers.Iquique
The United States navy dispatched several ships, under two admirals, to chase the Itata, which press reports claimed was expected to meet and supply the Chilean warship Esmeralda with arms and munitions. But both the Esmeralda and the CharlestonUSS Charleston (C-2)
The second USS Charleston was a United States Navy protected cruiser — the first US protected cruiser to be built. Lacking experience in building steel cruisers, the design was commissioned from the British company W. Armstrong, Mitchell and Co...
, a US warship sent out after the Itata from San Francisco, reached the Mexican harbor at Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
by May 16, neither having intercepted the Itata.
The Charleston left Acapulco to join with other US ships, including the San Francisco
USS San Francisco (C-5)
The first USS San Francisco was a steel protected cruiser in the United States Navy. She was later named Tahoe and then Yosemite....
and the Baltimore
USS Baltimore (C-3)
The fourth USS Baltimore was a United States Navy cruiser, the second protected cruiser to be built by an American yard. Like the previous one, , the design was commissioned from the British company of W...
, and an international contingent including warships of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and the Imperial German Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
to await the Itata at the Chilean harbor of Iquique
Iquique
Iquique is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Atacama Desert and the Pampa del Tamarugal. It had a population of 216,419 as of the 2002 census...
. There, on June 4, U.S. Navy Rear Admirals W.P. McCann and George Brown
George Brown (Admiral)
George Brown was an American naval officer. He was born in Indiana, and entered the navy as a midshipman on February 5, 1849. He subsequently served aboard the USS Cumberland and USS St...
convinced the Chilean Congressional rebels to give up the Itata and its cargo of around 5,000 rifles. Ironically another arms shipment from the vessel Maipo with a load of German-made Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
arms and munitions arrived at Iquique on July 3, making the Itatas cargo unnecessary to the Congressionalist cause.
The Itata's return to the U.S.
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
Administration appointed William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
, the US Solicitor General (and later U.S. President), and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based federal prosecutor Henry Gage
Henry Gage
Henry Tifft Gage was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Republican, Gage was elected to a single term as the 20th Governor of California from 1899 to 1903. Gage was also the U.S. Minister to Portugal for several months in 1910.-Biography:Gage was born on Christmas Day, 1852 in Geneva,...
(later Governor of California
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
), to investigate the Itata and prosecute its crew and suppliers.
Following his investigation Gage declined to prosecute the crew, stating his belief that the federal government had made an error regarding the matter. He also stated that he believed that the arms shipment constituted private property, and was outside of the federal government's direct jurisdiction.
Taft did prosecute the cases against the arms and against the ship; however, the U.S. government lost in each instance in the courts.
Ultimately the Chilean congressionalists succeeded in their ouster of the Balamaceda administration and, in 1901, the Chilean steamship company which had charted the Itata to the congressionalist authorities brought a case against the United States for the ship's detention, claiming the ship had acted on behalf of the legitimate provisional government. The United States and Chilean Claims Commission ruled that the seizure had been justifiable, and that US authorities had had probable cause in holding the Itata at San Diego.
Sources
- Foreign Relations of the United States of America for the Year 1891. Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
: GPOUnited States Government Printing OfficeThe United States Government Printing Office is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, the Executive Office of the President, executive...
, 1892. - Foreign Relations of the United States of America for the Year 1892. Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
: GPOUnited States Government Printing OfficeThe United States Government Printing Office is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, the Executive Office of the President, executive...
, 1893. - "The Itata Incident" Osgood Hardy, in the Hispanic American Historical Review, vol V (1922) pp 195–226.
- The Federal Reporter. vv 47-9, 56
- John W. Foster. Michael Devine, London: The Ohio University Press, 1981.