818.00/627
Senator George H.
Moses to the Acting Secretary of
State
Washington, May 21,
1919.
My Dear Mr. Polk: I am enclosing with this
a letter today received by me from the attorney for the Costa Rican
Government.
The subject matter is self-explanatory; and I will be glad to have
any comment upon it which you choose to make.
Sincerely yours,
[Enclosure]
The Attorney for Costa Rica (Hazelton) to Senator George H.
Moses
Washington, May 21, 1919.
My Dear Senator: Inasmuch as our
Department of State declines official intercommunication with
the duly accredited agency of the Costa Rican Government here in
Washington, I am induced to invoke your kindly offices to
transmit to that Department this letter or its subject matter
over your signature as a matter of justice to the Government of
Costa Rica.
I am instructed by that Government as its legal representative
here, to say that the report that is understood to have been
made to the Department of State by the American Consul, Mr.
Chase, at San
[Page 822]
Jose,
that he had been informed by a member of the Senate of Costa
Rica in the presence of a gathering of responsible men that the
lives of the American colony would be sacrificed by the action
of that Government should the pending invasion of the Territory
of Costa Rica from Nicaragua succeed, is without any foundation
in truth whatever.
It is hardly necessary to say that this alleged report on the
part of the American Consul is preposterous upon its face and
unworthy of belief, as the fact was well known to him that the
American colony in Costa Rica with all its vast interests in
property and life, has always been and is now in close alliance
with that Government for the mutual protection whether in
offensive or defensive warfare, of their mutual interests.
Nevertheless, the Government of Costa Rica deems it a wise
precaution to bring to the knowledge of the Department of State
their emphatic denial of the truth of this statement, as set
forth in a Joint Resolution passed by the Congress of Costa
Rica, which in part reads as follows:
“No Senator nor Costa Rican having any moral integrity
would make such a statement to the American Consul and
it should be evident to the American Consul that this
malicious slander could not be true against the
traditions of this hospitable country that has always
complied with the obligations as a civilized nation
extending every courtesy to all foreigners; the
outrageous slander is considered by this Joint Session
as an insult to the country and therefore the Congress
unanimously resolves to protest in the most emphatic
manner the displeasure against this slander and resolves
that its members sign this protest as approval of
same.”
Sincerely yours,
