File No. No. 763.72112/7398
The Chargé in Honduras ( Curtis) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 9, 5 p.m.]
Your March 1, 6 p.m. Minister for Foreign Affairs replies to my note requesting permission for the landing and storage of gasoline at Amapala by asking what is the object of the Government of the United States. He refers to his note of January 16 [15] which was transcribed in Legation’s January 26 [16], 9 a.m.,1 repeats that the Government is favorably disposed, but says that the Honduranean Government then understood that a private company would make proposals relative to the opening of the new port, whereas now it appears that it is our Government which desires to make the surveys. In the course of a conversation he acknowledged that permission had been given to make the surveys if [and] tacitly admitted that permission was still valid, although it had been given rather too hastily. He also asked how long will it take to complete the surveys.
It would appear that there is not enough warehouse space in Amapala of the kind required by law for gasoline in such quantity as our [Navy] proposes to place there. I am keeping in touch with commander of U.S.S. Yorktown.