File No. 882.51/646.
Minister Buckner to
the Secretary of State
.
[Extract.]
No. 91.]
American Legation,
Monrovia
,
March 19, 1915
.
Sir: For the information of the Department I
have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of a letter from Mr. Reed
Paige Clark, General Receiver, concerning a loan to the Liberian
Government by the Excelsior Mining Co.
I have [etc.]
[Inclosure.]
The General Receiver to
Minister Buckner
.
Monrovia
,
March 18, 1915
.
Sir: For the information of the Department
of State, I would say that some time ago the Excelsior Mining Co.
Ltd., a Liberian company financed by British capital, of which Chief
Justice Dossen appears to be the Liberian attorney, deposited with
the Liberian Government as an evidence of good faith some $8,000 in
coin. I am informed unofficially that this sum has been borrowed by
the Liberian Government for the purpose of paying certain Government
officials. I have in fact personally seen a letter from His
Excellency the President in which the President states that this
loan has been made. I am further informed that Mr. Justice Dossen
gave oral consent to the loan, there being no [Page 638] written document to show that the
capitalists behind the Excelsior Mining Co. assent to the
expenditure of their deposit. The deposit, as I have said, was made
as an evidence of good faith, to be returned to the company if work
is commenced on their concession within the time limit set. It is to
[be] forfeited to the Liberian Government, I am told, only in the
event that the company fail to commence operations within the time
limit, three years after the conclusion of the European war.
The Financial Adviser was at no time advised of the Government’s
intention to make this loan from the Excelsior Mining Co., and has
had no opportunity to protest against what appears to be (apart from
other considerations) a wholly unauthorized charge against future
revenue.
Your [etc.]
