Mr. Ryan to Mr. Blaine.
Mexico, July 24, 1890. (Received August 4.)
Sir: On the 18th instant the secretary of the Guatemalan legation at this capital informed me that a cipher telegram from Mr. Mizner, United States minister in Central America, for the State Department at Washington had been received at his legation from the minister of foreign affairs at Guatemala, with instructions to repeat it to you. Two days after (the 20th) I received your cablegram of 19th instant, to wit: “If Mizner not there repeat to-day’s telegram instantly to him.” Not receiving such telegram, I sent Mr. Butler to the Guatemalan legation that morning to ascertain whether it had reached Mr. Diéguez, the Guatemalan minister.
Mr. Diéguez said that no telegram from Washington had been received by him, but he kindly allowed a copy to be taken of the cablegram of the 15th instant from Mr. Mizner to yourself, above referred to, which I have placed in the files of this legation and also herewith inclose.
During the afternoon of the same day (the 20th) I received your cablegram of 19th instant to Mr. Mizner and promptly repeated it to him to [Page 645] Guatemala over the line of the Central and South American Telegraph Company, keeping a copy thereof on file. Next morning I wired you:
Department telegram to Mizner received here yesterday and repeated to him at Guatemala.
But yesterday I ascertained that the cable company had not forwarded your message just referred to, and at once I sent it to Guatemala over the Mexican Federal Telegraph Company’s wire via Neuton, and cabled you thus:
Cable company refusing to repeat Department’s telegram to Mizner without prepayment, of which refusal I was uninformed uutil this morning, it was not sent until to-day.
A notice had been set up in the cable company’s office here, stating that all telegrams over their wires to Guatemala were subject to censorship in San Salvador; but the Mexican Telegraph Company assured me that their messages were not so subjected and entered directly into Guatemala.
I am, etc.,