821.6363/1049
The Minister in Colombia (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 14.]
Sir: Referring to my despatches No. 2060 of January 2, and No. 2150 of January 23,14 transmitting copies of some observations on the oil bill made by Mr. Samuel Haskell, local representative of the Texas Oil Company, to my despatch No. 2159 of January 26,15 transmitting some observations on the oil bill made by Judge Feuille, legal representative of the Standard Oil Company of California, and to my despatch No. 2182 of today’s date,15 transmitting a memorandum on the oil bill prepared by Mr. William T. Wallace, Vice President of the Gulf Companies, I have the honor to report that, as the oil bill in its present state will show, a number of changes recommended by these three representatives were made in the oil bill while it was before the Senate. These changes were made owing to their being recommended by Mr. Rublee. The recommendations of Mr. Haskell, Judge Feuille and Mr. Wallace to which no reference was made in the Senate were recommendations which were not approved by Mr. Rublee.
I have been interested to note that Mr. Haskell’s is the only one of the three memoranda which lays much stress on the articles having to do with titles on private property (as they now stand written in the bill); and this, in spite of the fact that both the South American Gulf Oil Company and the Standard Oil Company of California are interested in operations on privately owned lands.
Respectfully yours,