882.6176 F 51/67
Mr. Harvey S. Firestone to the Assistant Secretary of State (Harrison)
[Received November 27.]
Dear Mr. Harrison: The pressure of business connected with the close of our fiscal year has prevented me from answering your letter of October 31st, and I trust you will pardon the delay.
We originally prepared our proposal to cover a term of ninety-nine years at a certain rental. It was the suggestion of your Department that a shorter term subject to renewal and revision of rates, might be more equitable. We changed our proposed contract to conform to this opinion, and in the form taken to Liberia by our Mr. Hines and there presented to the Liberian Government it called for a term of fifty years subject to renewal, revision of rates and arbitration thereof in the event of dispute. Many weeks were there taken up in negotiations. The Liberian Government rejected the shorter term provisions, and put back in the provision that the contract be for the long term with fixed rental not subject to revision, as it is now written. The contract being otherwise satisfactory to us, we had no alternative except to submit.
With reference to loan provisions, they appear in the final executed contracts on account of the desire of the Liberian Government to have our assistance and the State Department’s advice in securing whatever loan they might be able to obtain in this country—it being, of course, understood that such would not be available to them if not consistent with the policy of our State Department.
[Page 489]I hope to have the pleasure of calling upon you the next time I am in Washington, and I wish to thank you for your letter.
Yours very truly,