In 1928, the world was still far from peaceful. The flames of war continued to burn in Southeast Asia, while the Afghans and the British remained locked in a tug-of-war.
The chaos in Central America continued, with village- and town-scale fighting every day. No great wars broke out, but skirmishes never ceased. And South America's two living treasures had gone at each other again.
Paraguay and Bolivia were both landlocked countries, and the two sides had been fighting bitterly over Northern Chaco for many years.
The reason was very simple: Northern Chaco had a river leading to the Atlantic Ocean—the Pilcomayo River.
Whoever obtained Northern Chaco could follow the Pilcomayo River into the Paraguay River and gain a route to the sea.
The question of an outlet to the sea had already left relations between the two countries extremely strained. At this critical moment, a Bulgarian oil company discovered petroleum in Northern Chaco—and the reserves were astonishingly vast.
Now neither Paraguay nor Bolivia could sit still. A windfall had fallen from the heavens!
Bolivia was beside itself with joy?
Paraguay was just as deliriously happy!
Paraguay and Bolivia faced much the same predicament: first, they needed a seaport; second, they needed resources.
Northern Chaco had both a canal leading to the sea and newly discovered oil. Could those two countries, poor enough to rattle when they walked, possibly sit still?
Bolivia's argument was this: Northern Chaco had originally been part of colonial Bolivia under Spain. Now that Bolivia was independent, Northern Chaco was naturally part of Bolivia.
Paraguay, however, said, "Count them yourself—how many Bolivians are there here? Your people aren't even here, so what gives you the right to call it your territory?"
"Our ancestors were herding sheep here long ago. By the international convention of first come, first