882.01 Foreign Control/214: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 6—9:52 p.m.]
75. From Reber: The report of the Liberian Committee was presented to the Council this afternoon.13 Grimes, in thanking the Committee for its efforts in Liberia’s behalf, called attention to the fact that any assistance acceptable to Liberia must not envisage changes in its Constitution.
Lord Cecil offered two observations:
- 1.
- The importance of effecting a practical plan of aid offered on the Council’s terms; and,
- 2.
- The existence of alleged measures of retaliation. He mentioned Brunot’s charges and the supporting statements of the British, French and American members of the Committee. He spoke of this as a problem to be considered by the Council.
Grimes again denied their existence categorically and stated the local political situation made it difficult for foreigners to obtain a true picture of the situation. He said time alone would show that he was correct.
Madariaga, in bringing up his contention that the League should consider the difficult problem presented by the existence of the powerful capitalist organization in a weak state, criticized the [Page 701] “Christy report”14 as being too prejudiced and laying too much stress upon the existence of slavery.
The Panaman representative said he hoped that Liberia would be permitted to show how far it could go to help itself and that if any aid were to be advanced it should be limited to the abolition of slavery and forced labor and not now to general improvements.
Sottile took that occasion to insist repeatedly that slavery and forced labor had been abolished and no longer existed in Liberia.
The Committee’s report was then adopted. [Reber.]
- For Council discussions, see League of Nations, Official Journal, March 1932, pp. 525-528.↩
- i.e., report of the commission headed by Dr. Cuthbert Christy; see Department of State, Report of the International Commission of Inquiry Into the Existence of Slavery and Forced Labor in the Republic of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, September 8, 1930 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1931).↩