File No. 763.72111/1332
The Chargé d’Affaires in Colombia (Harrison) to the Secretary of State
Bogotá, December 11, 1914.
[Received January 4, 1915.]
No. 120]
Sir: In reference to previous correspondence and in continuation of my despatch No. 117 of the 27th ultimo,2 regarding the complaint made by the British and French Governments against the Colombian Government for failure to maintain strict neutrality, I have the honor to report that the answer given by the British Foreign Office to questions in the House of Commons on or about November 27 reopened a discussion of the whole matter, after the charges against Colombia had seemed to be successfully refuted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Under date of November 28, Dr. Suárez addressed a note to the British Chargé, quoting a telegram received that day from the Colombian Legation at London. According to this report the statement made in the House of Commons was based upon information from the British Legation in Bogotá and from Captain Gaunt, to the effect that the wireless station at Cartagena was in operation [Page 707] under German influence and that wireless outfits on interned German merchantmen though apparently dismantled were being operated with “mufflers.”
After expressing his surprise at this new complaint, the Minister asked for an explanation. He also requested information regarding the use of mufflers and an assurance that in future the charges made by Captain Gaunt be presented directly to the Colombian Government for such defense or explanation as it might be prepared to make.
It was by no means easy for my British colleague to give a satisfactory reply and instructions are still awaited from Downing Street.
The newspapers of December 1 published telegrams from London to the same effect. This caused considerable ill feeling against the British Legation, which was then open to a charge of duplicity after having expressed its appreciation of the prompt attention given to its requests, as reported in my despatch No. 117.
Further documents regarding Colombian neutrality were published on December 3 and amongst them it was curious to see a reply made by Dr. Suárez to a formal complaint presented by the German Minister against an alleged anti-German attitude on the part of the local press.
Mr. Percy C. Wyndham, the British Minister, arrived on the 4th instant after several months leave of absence. A polite request on the part of several newspapers that he would lose no time in explaining the protest of his Government, did not make things easier for the British Legation.
The matter was in this unfinished and rather unsatisfactory status both for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the British Minister, when apparently of his own volition and simply as an act of disinterested friendship, so as to free the Colombian Government from all further embarrassment, Dr. Kracker von Schwartzenfeldt, the Imperial German Minister, in a formal note dated December 5 asked that the German wireless station at Cartagena be closed until the end of the war and gave an assurance that no claim for pecuniary losses would be presented by the Telefunken Company.
This astute and well-timed act of the German Minister has entirely wiped out any ill feeling engendered by his former protest and has turned to his own account the difficult impasse with which his British colleague was faced, besides placing the Colombian Government very much in his debt.
As the German employees had been excluded from the station, it would seem as if the German intelligence department was not depriving itself of much assistance and as regards the Telefunken Company, their receipts from private and commercial messages can not amount to any large sum.
It may be that the Germans have the use of another station, perhaps at San Andres, which from the latest information obtainable may now be in operation. I understand that Dr. Suárez is sending a gunboat to make sure.
In this connection and in confirmation of my telegram of December 1, 5 p.m.,1 I have the honor to enclose a copy with English translation [Page 708] of Dr. Suárez’ note of the 1st instant, and also of my note in answer dated the 5th idem, conveying the reply as instructed in your telegram of December 3, 6 p.m.1
There are also enclosed clippings1 from El Nuevo Tiempo containing the telegraphic report from Washington on which the Minister’s inquiry was based, with English translation; the telegram from London regarding the statement in the House of Commons; from El Liberal further documents relative to wireless telegraph, the circular to the newspapers regarding the German Minister’s protest against the press, and also the exchange of notes1 regarding the closure of the German wireless station at Cartagena.
I have [etc.]