438.00/123

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Haiti ( Bailly-Blanchard )

No. 424

Sir: You are instructed to inform the Haitian Government in writing textually as follows:

“The Government of the United States believes the time has come for the establishment of the Claims Commission provided for in the Protocol between Haiti and the United States of October 3, 1919. Despite the fact that at the present moment it appears that the Government of Haiti is not in a position to pay the claims which the Commission might validate, in the opinion of this Government a most useful purpose would be served by constituting the Haitian Claims Commission and having it proceed with its business of examination into the claims presented to it.

“It is to be hoped that the Government of Haiti may have succeeded in arranging the loan it desires to make by the time the Claims Commission has rendered its decisions, but in any event, the Haitian Government will have satisfied the claimants at least to the extent of acknowledging or refusing to acknowledge the claims presented to the Commission.

“The Government of the United States is communicating with the Governments of France and Great Britain, advising them that this Government believes it expedient and opportune to initiate the selection of the Claims Commission, and is requesting these Governments to suggest a third member of the Claims Commission, who shall be nominated by the Financial Adviser of the Haitian Government for appointment along with the other two members by the Government of Haiti. Under this procedure, and in accord with the Protocol of October 3, 1919, the Commission as constituted will consist of one member nominated by the Minister of Finance of Haiti, one member nominated by the Secretary of State of the United States, and a third member, described above, to be designated by the particular foreign government and nominated by the Financial Adviser, who will in effect be the representative of the particular government on the Commission.

“In requesting the respective Governments to announce their designations, this Government has informed them that the members so to be designated are to serve only during the time in which the claims of the particular nationals against the Government of Haiti are under consideration, and that these temporary members are to submit their resignations to the President of Haiti at the expiration of this period in order that the President of Haiti may appoint whatever third member the Financial Adviser may nominate for consideration of the claims of nationals of other governments.

“In addition to the nationals of the Governments of France and Great Britain, and excepting Germany for the time being, the claims of other nationals are so relatively insignificant that the United States Government hopes for the sake of economy to be able to persuade the Governments of the other nationals to permit their claims to be adjudicated by the Commission when sitting for the consideration of either the French or the British claims. An effort [Page 229] in this direction will shortly be made and the Government of Haiti will be informed of the result thereof.

“This Government desires in conclusion to express the hope that the Minister of Finance of Haiti will shortly make his nomination in order that the Commission may be constituted in the near future.”

I am [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:
Henry P. Fletcher