Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 7, 1903

Mr. Hay to Mr. Meyer.

[Telegram.—Paraphrase.]

Department of State,
Washington , January 8, 1903 .

(Mr. Hay states that the following telegram has just been received from Minister Bowen:

I have just received the following from President Castro:

“Mr. Minister: The Venezuelan Government accepts the conditions of Great Britain and Germany; requests you to go immediately to Washington for the purpose of conferring there with the diplomatic representatives of Great Britain and Germany and with the diplomatic representatives of the other nations that have claims against Venezuela, and to arrange either an immediate settlement of said claims or the preliminaries for submitting them to arbitration.

“Cipriano Castro,
“Constitutional President.”

If, as I understand, Great Britain and Germany want to know what guarantee they will have, please inform them it will be the custom-houses. Consequently, I beg that the blockade be raised at once.

Mr. Meyer is directed to at once communicate the above to the Italian foreign office, saying that Mr. Bowen will come to Washington immediately.)