File No. 6663–1.

Minister Russell to the Secretary of State.

No. 191.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose you herewith a clipping from the Official Gazette, with translation, giving the correspondence to and from the foreign office in regard to the recognition by Venezuela of an envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the Republic of Nicaragua.

Mr. Simon Planas Suarez, a Venezuelan, who has just been recognized by Venezuela as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Nicaragua, has been for several years, since December 1, 1904, the accredited diplomatic representative of that Republic with the rank of chargé d’affaires.

I would like an expression of opinion from the department as to this novel status of Nicaragua’s representative, who has placed himself apart from the other members of the diplomatic corps by waiving all his diplomatic immunities and privileges under international law.

I am, etc.,

William W. Russell.
[Inclosure 1.—Translation.]

Minister Suarez to the Venezuelan Minister for Foreign Affairs.

No. 35.]

Mr. Minister: Referring to the conversation I had with your excellency this morning, and in view of the fact that I will soon have to treat with your excellency several important questions arising from the present war between Nicaragua and several other Republics of Central America, trusting in the signal goodness of your excellency, I beg you to forward to His Excellency Gen. Cipriano Castro, Constitutional President of the United States of Venezuela, the letters of credence by which His Excellency Gen. J. Santos Zelaya, Constitutional President of the Republic of Nicaragua, has seen fit to accredit me near the illustrious and liberal Government of your excellency in the capacity of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary.

The constant desire of the people and Government of Nicaragua to strengthen even more their fraternal relations with the people and Government of Venezuela, and to make more solid their patriotic ideals, sentiments with which I myself am perfectly in accord, lead me to hope that in the discharge of my new mission I shall merit the confidence of the illustrious President of Venezuela, and that of his worthy collaborators, and thus succeed in successfully fulfilling, with such valuable cooperation, the high mission that has been confided to me.

[Page 1092]

In the name of the President of Nicaragua, in that of his Government, and in my own name, I earnestly beg your excellency to be so kind as to express to the President of Venezuela my sincere desires for the complete reestablishment of his important and precious health, and the no less fervent desires for the peace, grandeur, and progress of the United States of Venezuela.

Will your excellency please accept, together with my acknowledgment, my wishes for your personal happiness and the homage of my highest consideration.

(Signed)
Simon Planas Suarez.
[Inclosure 2.—Translation.]

The Venezuelan Minister for Foreign Affairs to Minister Suarez.

Mr. Minister: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s polite note of the 16th of last April, inclosing, for delivery to Gen. Cipriano Castro, restorer of Venezuela and Constitutional President of Venezuela, the letters of credence by which His Excellency Gen. J. Santos Zelaya, Constitutional President of the Republic of Nicaragua, has seen fit to accredit your excellency near my Government as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary.

Your excellency’s request having been complied with, I am greatly pleased to inform you that Gen. Cipriano Castro has authorized me to recognize your excellency as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the Republic of Nicaragua, as accredited in the autograph letter from His Excellency Gen. J. Santos Zelaya.

Gen. Cipriano Castro, restorer of Venezuela and Constitutional President of the Republic, while acceding to the wishes of the Government of Nicaragua in recognizing your excellency in this new and higher diplomatic character, taking into consideration the Venezuelan nationality of your excellency, makes, through this ministry, the consequent reserve as regards your immunity and extraterritoriality, with the declaration that in no manner shall the ties which bind your excellency to the Republic of Venezuela be considered as dissolved or lessened in everything touching obedience to the constitution and laws as a Venezuelan citizen.

The desires expressed by your excellency on the part of the people and Government of Nicaragua for strengthening even more their fraternal relations with Venezuela, an aspiration shared by the Government of the Republic, in the well-grounded hope that in the discharge of the high mission of your excellency there will be frequent opportunity for their realization.

The Constitutional President of the Republic is extremely grateful to the President of Nicaragua, to its Government, and to your excellency for the sincere wishes in regard to his health and for the prosperity of Venezuela, and returns them, expressing at the same time his most fervent desires for the complete consolidation of peace in the Republic of Nicaragua and for the personal happiness of its Prime Magistrate.

I avail myself, etc.,

(Signed)
J. de J. Paul.