File No. 811.34537/58.
[Untitled]
American Legation,
Habana, June 1,
1911.
No. 884.]Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 758, I have
the honor to inclose herewith a copy (with translation) of a draft of an
agreement in regard to the desired exchange of additional land for our
naval station at Guantánamo in return for the Bahía Honda release, which
I have just received from the Cuban department of state. In this draft
the lines of the agreement of February 16/23, 1903, have been followed.
The proposed boundaries for the Guantánamo station are those mentioned
in my note of January 21, 1911 (dispatch No. 594), which were copied
from the letter of the joint board of March 25, 1907, to the Secretary
of the Navy, of which a copy accompanied the Department’s instruction
No. 265 (to Mr. Morgan), of July 17, 1909.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Draft of agreement enlarging the naval station
at Guantánamo.
[Extract.]
The Republic of Cuba and the United States of America being desirous
to modify the limits of the existing naval station at Guantánamo for
reasons of military order with the object to include certain
elevations of strategical importance, as well as to provide the
necessary water, within the boundaries of the naval station, in
exchange for the renunciation by the United States of America of the
lease of land in Bahía Honda effected by the agreements of February
16/23 and July 3,1 1903, in execution of the provisions of Article VII of
the appendix to the constitution of the Republic of Cuba, and the
transfer by the United States of America to the Republic of Cuba,
wholly and definitely, of all its rights therein, have named with
this object their plenipotentiaries:
- The President of the Republic of Cuba; Sr. Manuel Sanguily
y Garritt, secretary of state; and
- The President of the United States of America, Mr. John B.
Jackson, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary in
Habana, who after communicating to each other their
respective full powers, found to be in due form, have agreed
upon the foliowing articles:
[Page 123]
- Article I. The limits of
the areas of land and water in Guantánamo which were
leased to the United States of America under the
agreements of February 16/23 and July 3, 1903, are
hereby increased and definitely fixed in the form
described as follows. [Description by metes and
bounds.]
- Article II. All the
rights acquired and all the obligations contracted
by the Republic of Cuba and the United States of
America in regard to the lands leased at Guantánamo
by virtue of the above-mentioned lease are hereby
extended to the new leased lands applying to the
same for their delimitation, evaluation, and
expropriation the proceedings adopted in paragraph 2
of Article I and in Article II of the agreement of
July 3, 1903, in case of the lands previously
leased.
- Article III. All the
clauses and provisions of the treaty of February
16/23, 1903, and the regulating convention of the 2d
of July, 1903, that are not altered or modified by
the present convention shall remain
subsistent.
- Article IV. The United
States of America agrees and covenants to pay to the
Republic of Cuba the [annual] sum of —— as long as
the former shall occupy and use said areas of land
by virtue of said agreement.
- Article V. The United
States of America renounces all right over the areas
of land and water at Bahía Honda which the
Government of the Republic of Cuba leased to the
United States of America by the agreements of
February 16/23, and July 3, 1903.
- Article VI. This lease
shall be ratified and the ratifications shall be
exchanged in the city of —— within —— months from
this date.
In witness whereof, we, the respective plenipotentiaries, have signed
this lease and hereunder affixed our seals.
