File No. 839.51/1342.
The Chargé d’Affaires of the Dominican Republic to the Secretary of State.
Washington, May 26, 1914.
Mr. Secretary: Under date of March 20, 1914, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Eliseo Grullon, addressed to the Honorable James M. Sullivan, Minister of the United States in Santo Domingo, a note5 with reference to the acceptance by the Dominican Government of a financial expert who will go to Santo Domingo under the conditions and with the object in view which are set forth in the above-mentioned note. The original text of the said note—a copy of the English translation of which has been given to me in the Department—has been the subject of discussion between Secretary Grullon and Minister Sullivan, the latter acting in virtue of instructions from the Department transmitted by cable.
I have the honor to inform you that I have received authority from my Government to substitute for the above-mentioned note another note; the English text of the note which takes the place of the note of March 20, 1914, is as follows:
The Government of the Dominican Republic, desirous of preserving its regard for the international obligations of the Republic relative to the demands of national sovereignty, suggests, with the purpose of rendering effective the clauses of the Convention of 1907 that the President of the United States designate a competent financial expert to come to Santo Domingo to aid the proper officials of this Government to settle debts, to devise an adequate system of public accountability and to conserve and put into execution the original agreement of increasing the revenues and to adjust them to the expenses, all this with the view of assuring order and stability over our finances, and to [Page 234] prevent deficits. In the fulfillment of this task it will be his duty especially to inquire into the validity of any charge or claim which may be presented, to countersign checks, drafts, and orders of payment from the Dominican funds in favor of a third party, to enlighten both Governments with reference to any eventual debt, determine if such debt is or is not in conformity with the Convention of 1907, and to exercise all the powers of a comptroller.
The financial expert shall be employed in connection with the Receivership by virtue of the terms of the Convention of 1907 but he shall not be subordinate thereto. His salary and expenses shall be paid by the Receivership.
The duties which are assigned to the financial expert shall be effective over the Receivership, the Department of Public Works, and any department or bureau of public accounts.
In case of disagreement between the Receivership and the Department of Treasury and Commerce, and when it affects a matter the solution of which does not require the intervention of both Governments, the financial expert shall have authority to use his good offices to compose their differences.
When notice is received by the Dominican Government that the financial expert has been designated, it will forthwith notify the Receiver General of such designation, who will thereupon be authorized to make monthly payments and arrange for all other expenses out of the five per cent, mentioned on Clause one of the Convention of 1907, as determined by the President of the United States and the President of the Dominican Republic.
I avail [etc.]
- Not printed.↩