File No. 319.1123L25/40
The Secretary of State to Minister Price
Washington, May 12, 1916.
Sir: The receipt is acknowledged of your despatch No. 907, of April 24, 1916, transmitting a copy of a letter from Brigadier General C. R. Edwards, relative to the attempted identification by American soldier witnesses of Panaman policemen involved in the Colon riots.
You will advise the Foreign Office that the continued dereliction of the Panaman authorities in dealing with the investigation of occurrences which have involved death and injury to American citizens in Panama is regrettable and the more so as past experience has shown that dereliction of this nature is not unlikely in such cases.
The facts that over a year has elapsed since the Colon riot of April 2, 1915; that no investigation of a vigorous and prompt character has been had of the affair; and that so far as this Government is informed no participant therein has been placed on trial, taken in connection with the circumstances of the affair, would sufficiently justify a demand for an indemnity for the American citizens killed and wounded by the Panaman police in that riot.
However, before presenting such demand, and with a view to affording a further opportunity for action by the Government of Panama which might be considered as bearing on the question of the amount of indemnity, it has been decided to await for a brief time the outcome of any action which the Government of Panama may conclude to take in the way of prosecuting the participants in the disturbance mentioned.
I am [etc.]