File No. 763.72111/721
The Minister in Ecuador (Hartman) to the Secretary of State
Quito, November 19, 1914, 10 a.m.
[Received November 20, 3 p.m.]
[Telegram]
Your November 14, 7 p.m. and November 16, 6 p.m.1 I presented subject to the Minister for Foreign Affairs yesterday. He informed me he did not know whether the Germans had made use of the Galápagos Islands but that, if true, it was not with the previous knowledge of Ecuador. He showed me copies of orders to naval officers which he said had been sent, instructing them to observe strictly the neutrality proclamation. He declares that the Government will investigate the charges and if found to be [?], will make a protest to the German Government. He said that owing to the weakness of Ecuador and the present revolution, Ecuador could not do more than protest. The British and French Ministers express the belief that the Ecuadorian Government has done and is doing all in its power to enforce its proclamation of neutrality. Considering the distance of the islands from the mainland and from each other, the absence of telegraphic communication, and the lack of vessels, it is impossible to keep informed about them.