File No. 714.1515/66
Minister Ewing to the
Secretary of State
No. 576
American Legation,
Tegucigalpa,
December 31, 1917.
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the
Department’s cablegram of December 22, 7 p.m., instructing me to inform
the Government of Honduras that in pursuance of the earnest desire of
the Government of the United States to facilitate and expedite by its
friendly good offices the settlement of the boundary question existing
between Guatemala and Honduras respectively that these Governments
submit the question for a boundary arbitration treaty subject to
ratification of their respective legislatures, as outlined and agreed
upon in Article V of the Protocol signed by the representatives of
Guatemala and Honduras on September 20, 1917.
In compliance with this instruction I immediately approached the
Government of Honduras on the subject, addressing a formal note dated
December 26 to the Minister of Foreign Relations.
The Government of Honduras, through its Minister of Foreign Relations,
replied to this communication under date of December 28, embodying in
its reply the text of my note of the 26th instant, and further stating
that Honduras accepts immediately the proposition that the question of
limits between the two Governments be submitted to arbitration in
conformity with the suggestion of the Government of the United
States.
The Government of Honduras further states that it does not doubt but that
Guatemala will also accept, with good will, the friendly suggestion of
the Government of the United States and in the meantime it will await
notification of such acceptance, abstaining in the meantime from signing
any boundary agreement with Mr. Víctor Sanchez Ocaña, representing the
Government of Guatemala now in this capital.
The Government of Honduras having accepted formally the tender of
mediation on the part of the Government of the United States feels
obligated to abide by this acceptance and considers that the entire
boundary dispute between the Governments is to be submitted to mediation
with the Government of the United States as mediator. This question has
been gone into fully with the President and the Foreign Minister and
they are anxious that the dispute be settled in this manner rather than
by direct negotiations with Guatemala. As this dispute is of long
standing and numerous attempts to settle it by direct negotiations
between the interested Governments have previously failed, the
Government of Honduras looks to the Government of the United States to
conduct the negotiations with the hope of definitely settling the entire
question.
[Page 797]
I have the honor to attach hereto copies of my note to the Foreign Office
under date of December 26, together with the reply of the Government of
Honduras under date of December 28, 1917, the latter being accompanied
by its translation into English.
I have [etc.]
[Inclosure 1]
Minister Ewing to
the Minister of Foreign Relations
American Legation,
Tegucigalpa,
December 26, 1917.
Excellency: Acting upon cablegraphic
instructions from my Government dated December 22, I have the honor
to bring to the attention of your excellency the following
suggestion:
In pursuance of the earnest desire on the part of the Government of
the United States and to facilitate and expedite by its friendly
good offices the settlement of the boundary dispute existing between
your excellency’s Government and the Government of Guatemala, the
Government of the United States proposes that the Governments of
Honduras and Guatemala submit this question to a boundary
arbitration treaty, subject for ratification of their respective
legislatures, as outlined and agreed upon in Article V of the
Protocol signed by representatives of Honduras and Guatemala on
September 20, 1917.
I am further instructed by my Government to urge prompt consideration
of this question and will appreciate an answer so that I may
immediately cable the desires of your excellency’s Government in the
premises.
I improve [etc.]
[Inclosure 2—Translation]
The Minister of Foreign
Relations to Minister Ewing
Ministry of Foreign Relations,
Tegucigalpa,
December 28, 1917.
Mr. Minister: I have had the honor to
receive the courteous note of your excellency, dated the 26th of the
present month, by means of which my Government is informed that the
Government of the United States, in the desire to facilitate and
accelerate by means of its friendly good offices, the settlement of
the’ question of limits which exists between this Government and
that of Guatemala, proposes that the Governments of Honduras and
Guatemala submit the question to a treaty of arbitration of
boundaries, subject to ratification by their respective legislatures
as was agreed upon in Article V of the Protocol signed by the
representatives of Honduras and Guatemala the 20th of September,
last.
In reply, I am pleased to make known to your excellency that the
Government of Honduras accepts immediately that the question of
limits with Guatemala be submitted to arbitration in conformity with
the suggestion of the Government of your excellency.
This Government does not doubt that that of Guatemala will accept,
also, with good will, the friendly suggestion of the Government of
your excellency, and with such understanding it will await
notification of such acceptation, abstaining in the meantime from
signing any boundary agreement with Mr. Víctor Sanchez Ocaña,
representative of the Government of Guatemala, who, as your
excellency knows, has just arrived in this capital with the object
of discussing a boundary treaty as provided for in the preliminary
agreement of September 20, of which your excellency has
knowledge.
Begging that if your excellency thinks well, what is expressed in the
foregoing may be transmitted to the Government of the United States,
I am pleased to repeat the assurances of my most distinguished
consideration.
