ABSTRACT
Bolivia at mid-twentieth century was a country frozen in time. A nation of extremes: lofty Andean peaks, tropical jungles, a vast Altiplano 4,000 meters above sea level; the most inequitable land tenure system on the planet; three million Indians ruled by a creole oligarchy; an army whose only victories were against its own people. Bolivian interest in the Chaco focused on access to the Atlantic through the Rio Paraguay and the chimerical dream of potential oil reserves in the region. Paraguay initially fought to defend its remaining patrimony: but as its armed forces pushed beyond the disputed border, deep into Bolivian territory, strategy shifted to a war of conquest. Bolivian efforts were severely hampered by chronic political infighting between President Salamanca and his General Staff, the refusal of Argentina and Chile to allow shipment of supplies through their territories, and the logistical difficulties of delivering war material to the distant Chaco.
