714.1515/618: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Representative of the United States on the Guatemalan-Honduran Boundary Commission (Davis)
Your 5, April 18, 5 p.m. The following cable sent to Guatemala and the same to Honduras except for last paragraph.14
“Mr. Davis cables from Cuyamel that after series of conferences the two Commissions can not agree upon provisional line and have filed signed statements presenting their respective claims and arguments and calling upon mediator to fix a provisional line under the conditions [Page 737] stipulated in their telegrams accepting mediation of representative of Department. Mr. Davis states that complicated situation between, conflicting interests in disputed territory makes fixing of provisional line most difficult and that he is convinced after studying the situation that the only means of avoiding future conflicts is through permanent arbitration. He states that should both parties agree to open negotiations, the establishing of a provisional line prior to these negotiations might disturb the situation and that in his opinion the decision of the mediator on the line should be postponed for a reasonable time.
At the conference on Monday, April 23, Mr. Davis will propose to both Commissions that they obtain powers from their respective Governments to draw up a treaty submitting the controversy to final arbitration. As soon as this proposal is made Mr. Davis will cable you whereupon you will please immediately make representations to the Government to which you are accredited urging it to empower its Commission to draw up this treaty. You will point out the very great commercial and economic benefits as well as political advantage to both countries in having this troublesome boundary question definitely settled for all time so that political controversies between the two will be removed and that the region now in dispute may be adequately developed to meet the commercial and economic needs of the countries in question. You may point out that the present occasion would seem to offer a most satisfactory opportunity for settling this question and that you feel confident that the responsible officers of the two Governments would not wish to take a position which would cause the failure of this serious attempt to bring stability in relations between the two countries and deprive the inhabitants of both countries of the benefits of stable conditions both in the frontier territory and in their international relations. Cable results immediately to Department and Legation at Tegucigalpa and to Mr. Davis at Cuyamel.
You will realize that the terms of agreement on part of Guatemala quoted in your cable No. 28 of March 22, 6 p.m. are most unsatisfactory as they open the door of Guatemala to refuse any provisional line which does not give it its maximum claim. The Department may have to consider later instructing you to try to have these terms changed.”
When you have made your proposal to the two Commissions please immediately telegraph Guatemala and Tegucigalpa so that they may take the action authorized. Please repeat future cables to Tegucigalpa and Guatemala.
- Sent, on the same date, to the Minister in Guatemala as No. 37; to the Minister in Honduras as No. 33.↩