File No. 714.1515/65
Minister Ewing to the Secretary of State
Tegucigalpa, December 31, 1917.
Sir: I have the honor to refer to Department’s cable dated December 22, 7 p.m. instructing me to inquire whether, pending definite arbitral boundary decision, the Government of Honduras would be prepared to withdraw all troops to the south and east of the Merendén mountains provided the Government of Guatemala withdraws all of her troops to the north and west of the Motagua River thus establishing a neutral zone to be so regarded by both countries.
Upon receipt of this instruction I called upon the Minister for Foreign Affairs accompanied by the secretary and clerk of the Legation on the morning of the 24th inst. This suggestion was submitted to the Foreign Minister and the matter thoroughly discussed. The Foreign Minister stated that Guatemala had an envoy, Doctor Sanchez Ocaña, en route to Tegucigalpa to undertake to arrange diplomatically the boundary dispute between the Governments of Honduras and Guatemala but the Government of Honduras considered that inasmuch as the entire dispute had been formally submitted to the United States for mediation it was bound to proceed with mediation with the Government of the United States as mediator and that his Government would not engage directly with the Guatemalan diplomatic envoy.
The question of the withdrawal of Honduran troops to the south and east of the Merendén mountains was discussed and it is the undivided opinion of myself, the secretary and the clerk of the Legation, that the Foreign Minister requested of the Legation that it cable the Department of State agreeing to this withdrawalof troops provided Guatemala withdrew her forces to the north and west of the Motagua River. The Foreign Minister produced a map of the territory in dispute and this was gone over carefully and the location of the neutral zone pointed out. Furthermore, the Foreign Minister brought up the question of protection to the plantations of the Cuyamel Fruit Company and whether or not Honduras would be permitted to maintain a small police guard on these plantations as stipulated in the concession with this company. It was suggested to the Foreign Minister that this request could be embodied in the cable of acceptance of the proposition of the withdrawal of the troops which was done and included in my cable of December 24, 3 p.m. The Foreign Minister stated that he would also address a note on the subject and he was assured that the Legation would likewise address the Government of Honduras on the question.
In this connection I have the honor to state that the Foreign Minister on the afternoon of the same day sent for the clerk of the Legation, Mr. Brown, and stated to him that his, the Foreign Minister’s, action with regard to this matter, was not to be taken decisively until a formal note had been addressed to the Legation. In other words, at the morning conference it was thoroughly understood by all [Page 799] parties to the conference that the Foreign Minister accepted the proposition of the withdrawal of the Honduran forces and he so requested that the Legation cable Washington to this effect. This change of decision was no doubt brought about by a conference the Foreign Minister had with the President on the same subject.
The afternoon of the 26th inst., I visited the President in company with the Foreign Minister, the secretary and clerk of the Legation and the entire question was again gone into thoroughly. At this conference it developed that the President was unwilling to agree to a withdrawal of Honduran troops and the creation of a neutral zone which would be entirely within the territory of Honduras. The President suggested the consideration of the Motagua River as the neutral zone with the withdrawal of the Guatemalan forces to the north and west of this river. He stated that if he attempted to establish the neutral zone as suggested in the communication of the Government of the United States that he could not explain his action to the people of Honduras. It was pointed out to the President and his Foreign Minister that at the time Honduras was not maintaining troops in this territory but that Guatemala had established camps and were gradually encroaching more and more upon Honduran territory and that this seemed an excellent opportunity to secure the removal of Guatemalan forces to the north and west of the Motagua River. Both the President and the Foreign Minister were firm in their attitude and maintained that if a neutral zone were to be established it should be the Motagua River.
In this connection I have the honor to refer to Department’s cable of December 29, 6 p.m. with regard to the conflicting statements cabled to the Department in my December 24 and 27. It will be seen that the difficulty arose through the fact that the Foreign Minister in his interview with me on the morning of the 24th inst., accepted the proposition as suggested by the Government of the United States and later after conference with the President found it necessary to reverse his decision in the matter.
I have the honor to attach hereto copy of my note to the Foreign Office on the matter dated the 26th instant together with the reply of the Honduran Government under date of December 28.
In this note the Government of Honduras obligates itself to place no military forces within the strip contained between the right margin of the Motagua River and four kilometers to the south and to the east of the said river provided the Government of Guatemala obligates itself, reciprocally, to place no military forces within a distance equal to four kilometers to the north and west from the left margin of the Motagua River. It is to be understood that this arrangement shall not prejudice the rights which Honduras may have to the north and to the west of the River Motagua, nor prevent the exercise of its jurisdiction in the zone to the south and east of the Motagua River, inasmuch as the only object which this arrangement seeks is to avoid collisions between the military forces of Honduras and Guatemala, which might involve the peace of both States.
I have [etc.]