File No. 882.51/494.
The Secretary of State to the American Chargé d’Affaires.
Washington, December 21, 1912.
Repeat following to Clark: “Referring to Legation’s cable, December 4, and Department’s cable reply same date, French Government urgently insists French Receiver be assigned French border. French Ambassador gives assurances such assignment need not be considered as injecting international politics into the conduct of the Receivership or an attempt to create any spheres of influence, Franco-Liberian boundary having already been settled. In view of the fact that French Government acquiesced after protest in the establishment of German Receiver at Monrovia, its present request can not be ignored. You will accordingly see the necessity of assigning French and British Receivers to their respective boundary ports. Such assignment does not mean these two Receivers can not be transferred [Page 701] from time to time to other ports along the coast nearest their respective borders as the requirements of the Receivership may dictate. Am informing French Ambassador to-day of this request that you comply with the desires of his Government.
“The Department is aware of the objections you have to the above arrangement, as stated in your report to the American Minister at Monrovia on September 16 last,1 but feels the circumstances are such that compliance with the French request is essential to continuance of the Receivership.”
- Not printed.↩