File No. 881.111/1.
The American Chargé
d’Affaires to the Secretary of
State.
No. 370.]
American Legation,
Tangier
,
March 4, 1913.
Sir: In further reference to my No. 363 of
February 18, 1913, I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of the
amended draft of the letter which the Chevalier de Rappard, Dean of the
Diplomatic Corps, proposes to address to Sid Mohamed Ben Mohamed El
Guebbass, the Sultan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs at Tangier, in
answer to his communication upon the subject of the insecurity for
foreigners traveling in certain regions of the Shereefian Empire.
All my colleagues have expressed their approval of the draft herewith
submitted, with the exception of the Chargé d’Affaires of Belgium, who
stated that he was referring the matter to his Government for
instructions, my own annotation being of a similar nature.
The Department will observe that in the reply proposed by the Dean of the
Diplomatic Corps to the Sultan’s Foreign Minister, a clause has been
introduced reserving the right for the Diplomatic Corps to determine, in
each particular instance, the extent to which the responsibility of the
Maghzen is involved, and I respectfully request that the Department
inform me whether it deems this clause a sufficient guaranty to prevent
the Maghzen from escaping its responsibility in respect to the
protection of the lives and property of foreign subjects traveling or
sojourning in any part of the Shereefian Empire.
In view of the urgency attached to the matter by the Dean of the
Diplomatic Corps, I would respectfully request that the Department
communicate its reply by cable.
I have [etc.]
[Page 1015]
[Inclosure—Translation.]
[Untitled]
After usual compliments:
The Diplomatic Body has been informed with great interest of the
contents of your letter of the 10th Moharrem 1331 (December 20,
1912) in which your excellency requested us to warn our subjects
that certain parts of the Shereefian territory, specified in the
above-mentioned letter, are disturbed.
Although the treaties grant to foreigners the right to travel
everywhere in Morocco and although the Diplomatic Body reserves to
itself the right to consider, in each particular case, up to what
point the responsibility of the Maghzen should be deemed to be
exonerated, it recognises the difficulties which the Shereefian
Government may experience in answering for the security of
foreigners who should venture into certain districts.
Appreciating the anxiety shown by the Maghzen to watch over the
security of foreigners in certain regions named, the representatives
of the Powers have drawn the attention of their nationals to the
parts of the Empire which they will do better to avoid for the
moment.
Referring to the passage of the letter of your excellency in which it
is declared that the list drawn up by the Maghzen may be modified in
proportion to the progress of pacification, the Diplomatic Corps
observes that this list is conceived in very vague terms and draws
the attention of your excellency to the advantage there would be to
define, if it were possible, in a more precise manner the regions
where the insecurity is real, notably as far as concerns the
communications between the large towns.
