822.51A/a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Haiti ( Dunn )

65. For General Russell.

The Ecuadorean Minister informed the Under Secretary today that he has been in communication with Mr. John S. Hord2 with a view to obtaining his services as Financial Adviser to Ecuador, and that he received a telegram from the President of Ecuador authorizing him to accept Mr. Hord’s terms of a contract for four years at an annual salary of $15,000 on condition that this Department approved.

The Under Secretary replied that Mr. Hord is at present engaged in important reconstruction work in Haiti and that his transfer at the present time might be a severe blow to the whole reconstruction movement, and that the Department would, therefore, be reluctant to have him leave Haiti before the completion of that work. It was explained to the Minister that the Department had received no word either from you or Mr. Hord with regard to the matter, and that in the circumstances the Department would wish to consult with you before giving him a definite reply.

The Department fully appreciates the serious delay and loss which will be occasioned to the Haitian Government should Mr. Hord leave before the internal revenue and customs revision is completed. However, the Department cannot prevent Mr. Hord leaving should he desire to do so and it seems possible that his negotiations with the Ecuadorean Minister may have reached a stage where the Department would be placed in an embarrassing position should it formally object to his going. The Department desires an expression of your views by cable regarding the matter. Should Mr. Hord leave, you will make it clear to the Haitian Government that this Department had no part in the negotiations, and was only advised of them after they were virtually completed.

Hughes
  1. The Financial Adviser to Haiti; see Foreign Relations, 1922, vol. ii, pp. 461 ff.