File No. 838.00/1063.
Minister Blanchard to the Secretary of State.
Port au Prince , December 12, 1914, 11 p.m.
In the course of Foreign Minister’s interpellation in the Senate reported in the telegram of December 4, 9 a.m., the interpolator, on the refusal of Minister of Foreign Affairs to give any information as to the negotiations at that time which he considered premature, produced and read a draft of our convention for the customs control as well as the counter-project referred to in my telegram of December 2, 3 p.m. which contemplated financial control and had appeared to me as possibly acceptable. This was the cause of the manifestation against the Minister for Foreign Affairs resulting in his resignation and the abandonment of that counter-project by the Government.
On December 10 I asked for a private audience with Theodore, which was granted me last evening. At this interview—which Doctor Bobo, Minister of the Interior, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Public Works, Chief of Protocol and several Generals attended—I stated the conditions on which recognition as President would be granted, expressing regret that interruption of the cable [Page 368] had caused a delay in receipt of my Government’s instruction as to this.
I recalled the offer previously made to the former Minister for Foreign Affairs of the good offices of my Government with the Bank for a loan for the traveling expenses of the commission and the running expenses of the Haitian Government during the negotiations in Washington which offer I stated my Government might be compelled to withdraw should the contemplated issue of paper money be made. I protested as to this issue as being in violation of the contract with the Bank and a matter which it was contemplated should be taken up by the commission and asked the decision of the President as to the appointment of desired commission in conformity with stated conditions.
Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, upon the request of Theodore, who talks very little, replied. He regretted it was impossible for the Haitian Government to send a commission authorized to negotiate in any manner a control of customs and added that a second counter-project which had been approved by the entire Cabinet had been prepared, which he thought had been submitted to me on November 24 by Mr. Justin in accordance with a decision of the Cabinet, which I assured him I had never seen. He admitted that this project did not comprise customs control but contemplated greater concessions and advantages to Americans and upon their most urgent and pressing appeal I finally consented to submit this counter project to my Government when the same should be presented to me by Dr. Bobo stating however that if it did not provide for all the conditions set forth in your November 12, 2 p.m. and November 16, 11 a.m., I greatly feared it would prove unacceptable.
This afternoon Dr. Bobo delivered to me this counter project and during our interview I again impressed upon him your instruction December 4, 11 a.m., and December 7, 5 p.m., which latter I had previously made the subject of a note to the Foreign Office and had communicated to my French and German colleagues.
Below is a résumé of the proposed convention—which contains no provision for either financial or customs control, but it is agreed that Article V of your November 12, 2 p.m. will be added—which, in fulfillment of my promise, I submit to the consideration of the Department, respectfully requesting an early decision.
Haitian Government’s counter project to Department’s proposed convention.
Provides for the appointment of three commissioners to the United States to negotiate as to:
- 1.
- Appointment of three American and three Haitian engineers for the prospecting, etc., of mines in Haiti.
- 2.
- Salaries and expenses of the engineers to be borne by Haiti during preliminary investigations.
- 3.
- The Haitian Government will concede to the Government of the United States or to Americans or American companies approved of by the Government the exploitation for twenty years of the mines designated by the engineers.
- 4.
- Exploitation by a corporation. All expenses of installation, exploitation etc. of the same to be borne by the concessionaire.
- 5.
- One third of the stock to be the property of the Republic of Haiti.
- 6.
- The shares of the Government of Haiti to be registered and inalienable during the life of the concession.
- 7.
- Assistance from the United States in obtaining for Haiti a loan the amount to be determined, to enable it to consolidate its debt, meet its obligations past and future and reform its monetary system.
- 8.
- In return for advantages granted by Article 7, the Haitian
Government will grant preference to the Government of the
United States and citizens in commercial and industrial
affairs while giving full protection to foreign interests in
Haiti.
- (a)
- Under equal conditions in a concession to be awarded, to give preference to the United States should it desire it.
- (b)
- Settlement at the earliest possible moment by arbitral commission appointed in accordance with commercial law of Haiti of all questions pending between the United States Legation at Port au Prince and the Department of Foreign Affairs of Haiti.
- 9.
- Good offices of the United States to Haiti to secure modification of contract between Haitian Government and Bank.
- Convention to continue in force for a period of (blank) years from and after its ratification by the contracting parties in accordance with their respective laws.
The bill for the issue of sixteen million paper money has passed the Chamber of Deputies and has been sent to the Senate and by it referred to its finance committee.
Louis Borno has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.