882.01/11
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of an Interview With Mr. Harvey S. Firestone of Akron, Ohio
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Then Mr. Firestone said he had put into Liberia seven millions of investment, besides about two million dollars in a loan to the Liberian Government out of a possible loan of two million, five hundred thousand; so that he had invested already nine millions in Liberia. I interrupted to tell him that I had always heard good things about his labor policy in Liberia, and that no criticism had been made of his company. He said, no; that they had been getting on first rate with their labor; that they paid them off in cash and left them free to spend their money wherever they chose. He then told me how bad the situation was; … Mr. Firestone ended up by saying that the Liberian people were unable to handle their own affairs; that they must be controlled; that they were sinking down and down and there was nothing but anarchy ahead of them. He said the responsibility was always recognized to be ours and the time would probably come when Barclay would make a proposal of compromise and he hoped we would not accept it. I said I should not be in favor [Page 386] of accepting any compromise that did not have as its condition absolute authority commensurate with the responsibility, but I told him frankly I saw no likelihood of the American Government being willing to assume responsibility in Liberia, across the Atlantic; that I thought that would have to be eventually handled by the League of Nations with such advice or help as we can give them, whatever that might be.