438.00/193

The Secretary of State to the High Commissioner in Haiti (Russell)

No. 59

Sir: For your information, and for communication to the members of the Claims Commission, there is transmitted herewith a copy of [Page 553] a note received from the British Embassy in Washington regarding the acceptance of Haitian bonds in payment of British claims.

I am [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:
William Phillips
[Enclosure]

The British Ambassador (Geddes) to the Secretary of State

No. 923

Sir: With reference to previous correspondence regarding the establishment of an Arbitral Commission for the settlement of outstanding claims against the Haytian Government, I have the honour, on instructions from my Government, to invite your attention to Article 5 of the Protocol between the United States and Hayti on this question.

This Article states that “the Claims Commission shall determine the proportion of each award which is to be paid in cash and the proportion to be paid in bonds of Hayti …”.12

I have the honour to inform you that His Majesty’s Government are not prepared necessarily to accept whatever awards may be made as constituting a satisfactory and final settlement of the claims in question, if the proportion of these awards payable in Haytian bonds is calculated on the face value of these latter, and is in itself sufficiently large to reduce materially the net value of the awards.

His Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires at Port-au-Prince has been instructed to make a similar communication to the Haytian Government.

I have [etc.]

A. C.Geddes
  1. Omission indicated in the Ambassador’s note.