838.00 Elections/9: Telegram
The High Commissioner in Haiti (Russell) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:30 p.m.]
41. Referring to my urgent telegram 40, March 21, 2 p.m. I have just had a note from the Haitian Government as follows:
“In accordance with the so-called Hoover plan proposed on March 15, 1930, by President Hoover’s Commission22 and approved by our two Governments, the various groups of the Opposition were on March 20, to elect Mr. Eugene Roy in accordance with the very terms of the plan to be a ‘candidate for the Presidency whose name would be submitted to the Council of State,’ in the above quality as candidate.”
The note further points out that the procès-verbal referred to in my above-referred-to telegram violates the plan in the three respects named by me in that telegram.
The note concludes as follows:
“We are therefore in full revolution, anarchy is complete.
Despite the Constitutional Government of the Republic, despite the American Government which has undertaken by treaty to maintain that Constitutional Government, Opposition groups without any popular mandate are arrogating to themselves the right to issue a decree proclaiming a citizen temporary President and that in derogation of the Hoover plan which only authorized the simple approval of a ‘coalition candidate’ to submit on the 14th of April to the vote of the Council of State.
The Haitian Government through me (Minister for Foreign Affairs) hereby formally renews the protest contained in my letter of yesterday and considers itself henceforth relieved of any obligation accruing to it as a result of the Hoover plan manifestly violated by the Opposition.”
The protest of yesterday, above referred to, related to the wording of the invitation of the Patriotic groups and was satisfactorily adjusted. See my telegram 36 March 20, 9 a.m.
I propose tomorrow to inform President Borno that I have transmitted the contents of his note to the Department and that I consider the decision mentioned in the last paragraph of the above-mentioned note to be precipitate and ill-advised.