File No. 763.72111/680

The Colombian Government to the Colombian Legation at Washington

[Telegram]

We have no wireless stations on the Pacific Coast. As for the Atlantic, Cartagena radio station that belongs to a private company, the Government has a contract giving it full rights of inspection and censorship in case of war.

[Page 687]

The British Legation made reclamations on the ground that there was no characterized expert, and the Government to comply with the Legation’s wishes closed the station.

Afterwards, the Government entered into an agreement with a professional expert, paid by the Government and put him at the head of the station which was again opened.

The British Legation after some days asked the dismissal of the German employees in the station, and although the Government’s expert is the only one who receives or transmits radiograms, it decided to dismiss and did dismiss foreign employees, and since then operates the station, handing its net produces [proceeds] to the company.

No codes are admitted.

Now the British Legation considers that even plain words and phrases are suspect as they may be used with a conventional secret sense and on that new ground has asked the Government to close again the station.

But as the company has rights not to be overlooked, the Government cannot comply with the Legation’s wishes, still less when it has its own expert operating the station. This is the only pending question.

The British Legation informed that it feared Germans may be hidden in Urabá using occult stations. The Government made investigations at Cartagena, at Turbo and at Quibdó and found an abandoned ship, the Oscar, of the Compania Bananera, with wireless apparatus out of use. A special official was sent to bring back the apparatus. The British Legation tendered its thanks to the Government for its zeal.

Do inform me if it is true—as the British Legation tells here—that the United States has closed the radio stations on account of the possibility that plain common words or phrases may be used with an occult sense.