[Enclosure]
The American Diplomatic Agent and Consul General
at Tangier (Blake) to the Belgian
Consul General at Tangier and President of the International
Commission of Cape Spartel Lighthouse (Watteeuw)
Mr. President: I have the honor hereby to
inform you of the position taken by my Government concerning the
subjects raised in the questionnaire, drawn up in pursuance of a
resolution passed at the meeting of the International Commission of
the Lighthouse at Cape Spartel, on April 15th, last.
The Government of the United States will acquiesce in the acceptance,
by the International Commission of Cape Spartel Lighthouse, of the
assistance offered by the General Direction of Public Works of the
Shereefian Government, in regard to the drawing up of the projects,
of the calls for bids, and of the definition of contract
specifications, and also in connection with the examination of
tenders, the
[Page 754]
adjudication
of contracts, and the direction of the execution of the works, for
the improvements to the light at Cape Spartel. It must be understood
however that the acceptance of such assistance is strictly subject
to the following reservations of principle:—
- (a)
- That the technical and administrative operations in
question must be carried out by the Maghzen functionaries,
in the name of the International Commission of Cape Spartel
Lighthouse, and that the dispositions taken in this
connection must previously be submitted to and receive the
express approval of the Commission, and be carried out in
conditions laid down by the latter, under procedure similar
to that which was contemplated in 1914 with the assistance
of the International Technical Commission.
- (b)
- That the accepted cooperation of the Maghzen service with
the International Commission, on the present occasion cannot
imply a permanent delegation, to the former, of any measure
of the latter’s authority or functions, and that it cannot
be held to prejudice the existing rights of the
International Commission to base its decisions and action,
upon the advice of the competent departments of the various
Governments, which are signatories of the Convention of
1865.
My Government is of the opinion that the Diaphone and the Siren are
equally efficacious systems of sound signals, and in view of the
lower cost of the latter, advocates the selection of the Siren.
In conclusion, the Government of the United States desires me to
point out to the Commission that the proposal to limit the
opportunity for bidding to the firms enumerated in the
questionnaire, and notably the gratuitous assumption that no firms
in the United States would be interested, because two American
Manufacturers approached three years ago were at that time
disinclined to participate in the competition, constitutes a
procedure which is open to objection. However, in view of the
urgency of the improvements under discussion, the American
Government refrains from pressing this matter further, in the
present instance, but is convinced that its observations in this
regard will suffice to indicate that the American Government will
not acquiesce in the adoption of such procedure in the future.
Please accept [etc.]
