Jorge Prado

Jorge Prado Ugarteche belonged to a family deeply involved in Peruvian politics. A son of former president Mariano Ignacio Prado and brother of Manuel Prado, he combined political writing with parliamentary and diplomatic work. Elected deputy for Dos de Mayo in 1919, he was deported under Augusto Leguía in 1921. His later collaboration with Óscar Benavides brought him to the premiership and Ministry of Government in June 1933. ¹

Prado’s cabinet promoted a brief political opening. Its amnesty initiative in August 1933 released prisoners and allowed exiles, principally Apristas, to return. Contemporary newspaper coverage, examined in a later scholarly study, shows the government seeking support for reconciliation while competing over credit for the measure. The cabinet fell that November. Prado subsequently represented Peru in Brazil and stood for president in the annulled election of 1936. ^{2, 1}

As ambassador in Washington, Prado pressed Peru’s case for financial support. At a July 1947 meeting with Foreign Minister Enrique García Sayán and American officials, he argued that Peru’s wartime cooperation deserved greater consideration than it had received. He criticized the refusal of a stabilization loan while aid went to other countries, including former enemies. Peru faced severe foreign exchange shortages and political tension. ³