File No. 718.1915/189.

The Ministers on Special Mission of Costa Rica and of Panama to the Secretary of State.

Mr. Secretary: Referring to our interview of Thursday the 8th instant in regard to the arbitration of the boundary question between Costa Rica and Panama, of which your excellency is well informed, we have the honor to confirm our request to place in the hands of the honorable the Chief Justice of the United States of America the inclosed note requesting his honor to accept the office of arbitrator upon said boundary question.

With many thanks in advance, we have, etc.,

  • J. B. Calvo.
  • Belisario Porras.
[Inclosure.]

The Ministers on Special Mission to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

To the honorable the Chief Justice of the United States of America:

The undersigned, Joaquin Bernardo Calvo, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the Republic of Costa Rica, and Belisario Porras, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the Republic of Panamá, have the, privilege to submit to your honor an authentic copy of the convention entered into between the two aforesaid Republics under date of the 17th of March, 1910, whereby your honor was nominated arbitrator to decide, in conformity with the terms of said convention, upon their boundary questions. This convention was duly approved by the respective Legislatures of the Republics of Costa Rica and Panama last year, and the ratifications were exchanged at the city of Washington on the 17th of last May.

As your honor will observe in Article IV, the representatives of both Governments concerned, or only one of either of them, should, 30 days after the ratifications of the said convention have been exchanged, address your honor, requesting the acceptance of the office of arbitrator assigned to your honor by Article I of the same convention.

Therefore, the requisite formalities having taken place, we respectfully beg leave to request your honor to kindly accept the office referred to and advise us of your acceptance.

We are deeply interested to put an end to this boundary question, which is the only one that divides our sister Republics, and we feel fully confident of your honor’s wisdom and sound judgment.

  • J. B. Calvo.
  • Belisario Porras.