File No. 819.74/58.
[Inclosure—Translation.]
The Minister for Foreign
Affairs to Minister Price.
Foreign Office,
Panama,
August 14, 1914.
Mr. Minister: In order to comply with the
wishes of your excellency, I now have the honor to confirm the
matters brought to your excellency’s attention during the cordial
interview which took place yesterday in my office.
When I had the honor to discuss with his excellency the Secretary of
War, Mr. Garrison, the installation of wireless stations in the
territory of the Republic, I suggested the propriety of coming to an
agreement respecting the exchange of service between the stations of
the Canal Zone and those later to be established by Panama.
My Government, in view of the military necessities of the defense of
the Canal and the wishes expressed by your excellency and his
distinguished predecessor, has resolved not only to forbid the
erection of private wireless stations but also to abstain from
establishing the indispensable Government stations until such a time
as an arrangement may be made satisfying the needs of both
Governments.
As your excellency is aware, the Atlantic coast of the Isthmus is
uninhabited for nearly its entire extent, and it is only between
Portobello and Colon and in the neighborhood of Bocas del Toro that
small settlements are to be found. These extraordinarily fertile
regions, rich in mineral resources, are shunned by the white race on
account of their fear of the semi-civilized Indians who are today
the proprietors in control of this country.
The present administration, anxious to civilize the Indians and to
open these fine lands to civilization, has obtained from the Indian
chieftains consent to the presence of a few missionaries and even
the introduction of elementary education. Certain chiefs have
offered their support to the reclaiming efforts the Government
proposes to inaugurate at the entrance of the Gulf of San Bias in
the form of an agricultural colony under the protection of a
military police, which will serve as a nucleus for others that will
doubtless be established later.
But in order that the support and protection of the Government may be
effective and in order to protect from an Indian massacre the troops
and colonists [Page 1048] who are to
bring life to this region, it is indispensable that the means of
communication with Golon should be rapid; and this can be brought
about only by means of radiotelegraphy. The same conditions exist at
Puerto Obaldia on the Colombian frontier, in which place the colony
already established is facing failure on account of difficulties of
communication with the capital.
These vast regions, unprotected by the Government, are also infested
by foreign smugglers who defraud the nation of its customs dues, and
often offer a serious menace to the public health on account of
their violation of the quarantine laws, because of the fact that it
is difficult for the Panaman authorities to exercise control. For
this purpose it would be necessary to employ armed forces of
considerable strength, which in the present conditions would be a
great burden on the Treasury.
On the Pacific side, or Darien, there exists a very rich section,
also isolated from the rest of the Republic. Here are prosperous
settlements and the celebrated gold mines of Darien. At present this
country has no telegraphic communication with the capital, and
between it and this city lies a great expanse of almost impenetrable
forest. The only economical way of establishing communication is by
means of wireless.
It will be seen that the needs of the Republic for a wireless system
are not for maritime communication, but rather for land
communication; and as the distances separating the projected
stations are relatively short, the cost of installation will be
small.
The plan recommended by the commission which studied the project is
that of installing as many as six stations, those of San Bias,
Puerto Obaldia and Darien being urgently needed.
The cost of these should not exceed $20,000 each, and my Government
sees no objection to the work being carried out by the United States
at the expense of (“por cuenta de”) Panama, whose Government is
disposed to administer and maintain them at its cost, adopting for
this administration the same rules as those governing the stations
of the Zone.
I would ask your excellency to present to the consideration of the
Secretary of State the urgent necessity which confronts my
Government of establishing radiotelegraphic offices in certain
points of the Republic in order to introduce into one of the richest
sections the benefits of justice, education, religion and
progress.
I thank you [etc.]
