821.6363 Barco/140: Telegram
The Minister in Colombia (Piles) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:30 p.m.]
69. Press reports Minister of Foreign Affairs in Senate yesterday afternoon repeated with emphasis previous statements that I requested the Colombian Government to receive Mr. Stabler and that latter was not called by Colombian Government. He denied charges that he and the President had worked behind the back of Minister of Industry or that there had been any “intervention” on the part of our Government, saying that he replied to my first note “in a somewhat violent manner.” He again made no reference to subsequent negotiations. The Minister of Industry speaking on same subject made among others following statements:
- 1st.
- That although the interested company may have thought to negotiate an arrangement to revalidate the concession in return for [Page 629] some concessions, the thought of the Government was quite the contrary. The Executive in hearing the proposals of the interested party proceeded on the following basis: to maintain the forfeiture and once this right of the Nation was guaranteed some agreement might be reached.
- 2.
-
“I hardly had occasion to hear Mr. Stabler and the country now knows what his pretensions were, which if necessary I can explain to the Senate in secret session.”
- 3.
-
“When Stabler said he had been called by the Government, I consulted the President, who instructed me to say ‘it is not true and you can deny it; nobody called Stabler.’ When I told Stabler this he passed on to other matters. There was therefore no fault on the part of my colleague (Minister for Foreign Affairs) but an excess of ardor on the part of the third party (Stabler).”
Press makes no comment today on foregoing.