File No. 419.11D29/104.
The Minister of the Netherlands to the Secretary of State.
New York, August 30, 1915.
Mr. Secretary of State: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s note No. 121 of the 19th instant in which you kindly informed me of the controversy between the United States Government and Panama concerning the indemnities to be paid by the latter country for the death of two and the injury of about sixteen citizens of the United States, who were the victims of disturbances which took place in the city of Panama on July 4, 1912.
Your excellency stated that, after a long diplomatic correspondence between the two Governments which could not attain any satisfactory result, the Department of Foreign Affairs at Panama proposed that the diplomatic officer of some friendly nation accredited to Panama, and to be chosen by your excellency, be appointed as arbitrator to fix the amount of indemnity due from the Government for each of the American citizens killed and for each one injured. Further on I see that your excellency honored me by proposing me as arbitrator to the Panama Government, and that the latter saw fit to approve the choice, in consequence whereof you ask whether I am willing to accept the office. Your excellency added that provision might be made so that the evidence which the arbitrator has to consider will consist only of written documents, so that the arbitrator will be able to render his decision within a minimum period of time.
While thanking your excellency sincerely for the confidence which you showed in me by this choice, I have the honor to inform you that, having received the necessary authorization from my own Government, I hereby most gladly place myself at the disposal of the United States and Panama Governments, in consequence whereof I await the instructions which these two Governments may deem suitable to give me in order to enable me to fulfill the duties of arbitrator which they have done me the great honor to intrust to me.
Please accept [etc.]