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Memorandum by Mr. Orme Wilson, of the Division of Latin American Affairs, of a Conversation With the Dominican Secretary of Legation (Alvarez)
Mr. Alvarez called this afternoon to show me the Dominican instrument of ratification of the new Convention signed by the President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, which had just arrived from Santo Domingo. This document contains the “explanations” of the Convention and certain other provisions incorporated by the Dominican Congress in its Act approving the Convention. I informed Mr. Alvarez that I understood that this document would not be acceptable, as the Department desired that the procedure adopted with respect to the Convention of 1907 should be followed, and that President Vasquez’s instrument of ratification should contain only the actual text of the new Convention, as approved by the Congress of the United States.
Mr. Alvarez appeared to understand this and drafted a telegram to his Government to forward another instrument of ratification omitting explanations and additions.
I reminded him that in 1907 an exchange of notes was effected between the Dominican Legation and the Department, in which the former invited the attention of the Department, to the “explanations” contained in the Act of approval of the Dominican Congress and the latter replied by accepting these statements, but stipulating that they could not form a part of the Convention itself. Mr. Alvarez assured me that this note would be presented when the correct instrument of ratification arrived in Washington.