The Acting Secretary of State to Chargé Snyder.
Washington, August 5, 1905.
Sir: On July 25, 1905, while in Washington, Mr. W. W. Russell addressed to the Department a dispatch reporting interviews last winter with the Colombian minister for foreign affairs concerning the strained relations between Colombia and Venezuela, growing out of the closing of the Orinoco to Colombian commerce, and transmitting a memorandum handed to him by Señor Calderon just prior to Mr. Russell’s departure from Bogota, bespeaking the good offices of the United States to urge upon Venezuela the recognition of the principle of the free navigation of rivers. This matter was also presented to the Department by the Colombian chargé d’affaires at this capital in a note of the 5th ultimo.
The subject has been given consideration, and Mr. Russell is instructed, after arriving at his new post at Caracas, to take advantage of a favorable occasion to express to the Venezuelan minister for foreign affairs in a friendly way the great satisfaction with which the United States would view the adoption and proclamation by Venezuela of the general principle of the free navigation of rivers and fluvian arteries of communication common to neighboring countries. This principle the United States has advocated and in its relations [Page 252] with neighboring States maintained for many years. Mr. Russell is instructed to make it plain that this government in touching upon this subject does not seek to intervene or mediate in any way in the relations between Colombia and Venezuela, but is merely interested in the universal triumph of a principle beneficial to the world’s commerce.
I am, etc.,