File No. 419.11D29/35.
The American Chargé d’Affaires to the Secretary of State.
Panama, December 5, 1912.
Sir: I have the honor to relate some facts concerning the present status of the 4th of July incident.
Captain Barber, Chief of the Canal Zone Police, gives it as his opinion that Leonidas Pretelt, Comanclante of the Panaman National Police, has been willing to do as much as possible towards the detection and apprehension of the guilty policemen, but that he is only actually doing as much in that direction as the Administration allows him to do.
While I have no definite knowledge I have the feeling that the Administration is not really exerting itself but is hoping that the passage of time will in some way enable them to wriggle out of the responsibility of satisfying the demands of the United States in adjustment of the 4th of July affair. I therefore, take every opportunity of reminding the Foreign Office that the expectation of the American Government has not lessened. Accordingly I have made use of the reception of instruction of November 23rd, 1912,3 to address a note to the Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioning the sentiment expressed in the above instruction.
I have [etc.]