File No. 741.8215/41.
The American Minister to the Secretary of State .
Monrovia , April 1, 1912 .
Department’s March 28. President Howard and Liberian Government repudiate unreservedly actions of Cooper, Lomax and Morris on Sierra Leone-Liberian boundary. Secretary King was sent to boundary January thirty-one with letters of recall for Lomax and Cooper, dated January twenty-seven. Recalls ignored by them. President Howard then sent cables on February twenty-three, March fifteen and March twenty-three repeating their immediate recall and on the latter date added recall of Secretary King and Morris. Failing to obtain removal of these officials from the boundary President Howard sent Colonel Moore1 on March twenty-seven to boundary to bring insubordinate officials to Monrovia at once and secure immediate return of Secretary King. March twenty-nine Col. Moore2 cabled President Howard that Secretary King in company with insubordinate officials had left Sierra Leone-Liberian boundary and gone to Zinta on Franco-Liberian boundary and could not be reached by April first. Liberian Government requests extension of ten day period set by British Government for Liberian officials to leave boundary and promises their removal in reasonable time. If, after Colonel Moore1 has communicated with Cooper, Lomax and Morris, they persist in further disobedience President Howard proposes to declare them outlaws and treat them as such. President Howard is grievously disappointed at the failure of Secretary King to successfully handle the situation and is doing his utmost to bring the unhappy incident to a satisfactory conclusion.