File No. 817.812/110.
Minister Hale to the
Secretary of State.
[Extract]
No. 63.]
American Legation,
San José,
February 3, 1915.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of Department’s telegram of January 28, which reached me the
next day. * * * Before I could take the steps necessary to enable me to
answer Department’s inquiry—namely, if I found the Government here to be
in the same state of mind regarding the proposed canal treaty as the
Costa Rican Minister at Washington—La Información of February 2
published a page of comment on the subject, which I enclose, with
translation. It would seem from the President’s reply to La
Información’s [Page 1106] interviewer
that he is now of the same mind as when I made known to him the contents
of Mr. Bryan’s letter to me of July 24. Please see my letter to Mr.
Bryan of August 13, in which I made a report of my conversation with the
President. * * *
In view of the article from La Información (enclosure 1), I thought it
best to address an informal note to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs as
in the copy enclosed (enclosure 2). Upon receipt of a reply from the
Secretary, I will telegraph its substance to the Department.
I have [etc.]
[Inclosure 1—Translation—Extract.]
[Untitled]
[From La Información, February 2,
1915.]
In order to obtain accurate information upon this topic we paid a
visit yesterday to the President of the Republic, who replied to our
questions in a conclusive manner that there are no negotiations
pending either to sell or to lease the section of the canal route
which belongs to Costa Rica, and that the only thing there has been
in regard to this subject is the hint of the American Government,
given through its diplomatic representative here and directed toward
opening negotiations for the purchase of Costa Rica’s rights. To
this hint the Government replied that the Costa Rican’s attitude is
at present that which it has always been; namely, that of being
disposed to negotiate, not for money, but on condition that Costa
Rica’s rights should be appraised by a friendly nation, and that,
once appraised, our country should acquire in the canal works rights
in proportion to its cost; that is to say, that the country should
be a shareholder in the canal route.
That is what the President informed us on the subject, and his words
confirm in every respect the information which we had gathered from
private sources.
[Inclosure 2.]
Minister Hale to
the Secretary for Foreign
Affairs.
American Legation,
San José,
February 3, 1915.
My dear Mr. Secretary: Information from
Washington, in the public prints and otherwise, concerns itself with
the rights and desires of Costa Rica in relation to the Nicaragua
canal route, and I have the honor, most respectfully, to ask that
your excellency will state to me informally, but frankly, the views
of your excellency’s Government on this subject.
I have [etc.]
