Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1931, Volume II

838.00/3005: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Haiti (Munro)

Washington, July 30, 1931—7 p.m.

59. Your 88, July 28, 10 a.m.³⁹ The Department concurs in the views expressed in the last paragraph of your telegram No. 87 of July 28,⁴⁰ and prefers if possible to separate the budget issue from the Haitianization negotiations. For your information, Bellegarde⁴¹ was given to understand that the Department could not recede from its position with respect to the withdrawal of the budget from the legislature in view of obligations imposed by the Treaty, and did not acquiesce in his views that a withdrawal of the budget would be impossible.

The Department approves of the provisions of your tentative draft of the Haitianization Agreement⁴² but has the following observations to make:

1. Article 6. The Department considers that the wording suggested in your 86 of July 25 is preferable to your 88, as the former requires a prior agreement to be reached governing the service of payments before the accord of December 3, 1918 is abrogated. It assumes that you and de la Rue are satisfied that payments for the Garde and financial services under the pertinent articles of the Treaty of 1915 will be adequately protected.

2. Article 8. In view of the Department’s 51 of July 13 and the willingness of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to consent to the omission of this article it would seem preferable if possible not to include it. You may take up with Colonel Little the question of issuing a proclamation withdrawing martial law as soon as the Haitianization agreement is signed.

Department leaves to your discretion the signature of the agreement in the event that you are unable to obtain the modifications suggested.

Castle

39. Not printed.
40. Post, p. 513.
41. Dantès Bellegarde, Haitian Minister at Washington.
42. Transmitted in telegram No. 88, July 28, 10 a.m., not printed.