Office of the Historian

File No. 711.38/78

Minister Blanchard to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]
American Legation,
Port au Prince, May 2, 1916, midnight.

In view of the delay in the completion of the labors of the Commission in which the Haitian Government has been much concerned the Minister for Foreign Affairs has handed me the following memorandum which, at his request, is forwarded to the Department for its consideration:

[Translation]

More than four months have gone by since the Haitian Commission arrived at Washington. After all this lapse of time, the work accomplished is the following:

1st.
A regulation concerning the organization of the gendarmerie.
2d.
Negotiations with the National Bank of the Republic of Haiti.

There remains

(1)
To complete the understanding with the National Bank of the Republic of Haiti.
(2)
To undertake a settlement of the difference with the National Railroad.
(3)
To determine the organization and the working of the General Receivership and of the office of the Financial Adviser (Articles two, three, four, five, six, of the Convention).
(4)
To prepare the projects of laws or decrees provided for in Article 3.
(5)
To prepare a protocol for the settlement of foreign claims.
(6)
To determine the status of the engineer or engineers provided for in Article 13.
(7)
To examine, classify, etc., the debts of the country and devise means for their settlement (loan, etc.)

The first, second, third, fifth and sixth points could be confided to the Haitian Legation at Washington. The Haitian Government would appoint a Counsellor to the Haitian Minister.

The fourth point could be settled at Port au Prince between the Legation of the United States and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The seventh point could be settled at Port au Prince when the Financial Adviser would have informed himself as to the financial situation.

Under such conditions the maintaining of the Haitian Commission at Washington is therefore in no wise necessary.

The Haitian Government would be happy to have the Government of the United States enter into these views.

Blanchard