File No. 4832/34.
The Brazilian Ambassador to the Acting Secretary of State.
Hamilton, Mass., July 14, 1908.
Mr. Acting Secretary of State: I duly forward to Mr. Lorena your communication to Mr. John Brewer, as well as the original of your note to me, so that he can show it to him and at the same time he will take note of your wish about the use of our flag.
You will have noticed that in his note to the minister of foreign relations Mr. Lorena wrote that he would remain in charge of the American interests “during the suspension of the relations between the two countries.” This view of the incident of the recall of the American Legation seems not to have occurred to the Venezuelan Government before Mr. Lorena’s note, unless it did not wish that such view was taken by the public.
It seems also that the note of Mr. Paul, saying that Mr. Sleeper would continue enjoying the diplomatic immunities until taking the boat at Puerto Cabello, as he was recalled by his Government and Venezuela has no cause for complaint against him personally, is the reaffirmation, in another form, of the doctrine upheld by the Government of Caracas when it curtailed the diplomatic immunities of M. Taigny It is therefore to be regretted that the agents of all the powers then represented at Caracas were not authorized to sign the collective note proposed by the Brazilian minister protesting against the adjustment of the diplomatic immunities according to the feelings of the local Government toward the person of the agent [Page 828] and to the circumstances of his being recalled by his own Government, or of having received his passport from the Government to which he was accredited.
I have, etc.,