882.51/1219: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Liberia (Johnson)
66. The Department has recently had several informal conversations regarding Liberia with a member of the British Foreign Office who was a delegate to the Communications Conference at Washington. He was made acquainted with the efforts of British commercial interests in Liberia to bribe members of the Government of Liberia to oppose the acceptance of the American loan plan. He was informed of the disinterested desire of the American Government to aid Liberia in rehabilitating its commercial and financial situation, and that the United States was desirous of seeing the open door system applied to Liberia, but despite this fact there was a strong opposition on the part of the President of Liberia and other high officials to accepting the loan from the United States. He gave us definitely to understand that his government dissociates itself from the activities of the British commercial interests in Liberia which are influencing that Government against the acceptance of the American loan and he stated immediately on his return he would take up the matter of the British Government sending like assurances to the Liberian Government. You will endeavor to ascertain if any such contemplated action is taken by the British Government at Monrovia and if so to report fully by cable the nature of the communication made to the Liberian Government and the effect it produces.