Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1922, Volume I

813.00 Washington/10e: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Costa Rica (Davis)⁵⁹

Washington, October 21, 1922—6 p.m.

17. Deliver following note textually to the President and inform him of the gratification of the United States if the Government of Costa Rica will accept the invitation contained therein:

“The Government of the United States has watched with attention the measures taken in August last by the Presidents of Nicaragua, Salvador and Honduras at the conference held on board the U. S. S. Tacoma to effect more friendly and peaceful relations in Central America. The American Government was gratified at the action of those countries in acknowledging the validity of the General Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed at Washington on December 20, 1907,⁶⁰ and at the action of the Governments of Costa Rica and Guatemala in definitely declaring that that Treaty, in so far as they are concerned, is still in force.⁶¹

The Government of the United States believes that a great step has been taken towards peace and stability by these declarations of the five Central American states and is further of the opinion that the peaceful and friendly relations and the prosperity of these countries could still further be insured by a frank and friendly exchange of views and recommendations, the results thereof to be embodied in a treaty for the permanent regulation of their mutual interests and relations.

The Government of the United States consequently takes pleasure in inviting the Governments of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Salvador and Guatemala to send plenipotentiaries to Washington for a conference to be held beginning Monday, December 4th, to discuss:

1. The negotiation, of a treaty or treaties to make effective those provisions of the treaties signed at Washington on December 20, 1907, which experience has shown to be effective in maintaining friendly relations and cooperation among the Central American States.

2. Measures whereby, in view of the achievements accomplished with regard to the limitation of armaments by the powers participating in the Conference at Washington in 1921,⁶² the Central American States may carry on this endeavor and set an example to the world and above all to the powers of this hemisphere, by adopting effective measures for the limitation of armaments in Central America.

3. The working out of a plan for setting up Tribunals of Inquiry whenever any disputes or questions regarding the proposed treaty or treaties, which cannot be settled by diplomatic means, shall unfortunately arise between any two or more of the countries.

4. Any other questions which the countries represented at the conference unanimously desire to consider.”

You may verbally and confidentially inform the President that the Government of the United States does not contemplate the discussion of a Central American Union at this conference, nor the revival of the Central American Court of Justice, but simply measures which will place the relations of the five countries on a more stable basis. Of course the question of union can be brought up under paragraph 4 of the invitation if all the countries so desire, but will not be discussed if any is unwilling or offers objection thereto.

Hughes

59. The same, mutatis mutandis, to the diplomatic representatives in Guatemala (no. 47), Honduras (no. 35), Nicaragua (no. 41), and Salvador (no. 44).
60. Foreign Relations, 1907, pt. 2, p. 692.
61. See telegrams no. 50, Sept. 10, 1922, from the Minister in Costa Rica, and no. 84, Oct. 4, 1922, from the Minister in Guatemala, pp. 426 and 427, respectively.
62. See pp. 1 ff.