882.00/921
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Lindsay)
Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the aide-mémoire of the British Embassy, dated February 19, 1932, in which the suggestion was made, with reference to recent reports of renewed oppression of the Kru peoples by the Liberian Frontier Force, that joint representations in protest against these alleged atrocities be made by the British, French and American representatives in Monrovia.
The attitude of the American Government with respect to social conditions in Liberia and the imperative need of reforms is I believe well-known to Your Excellency. It will be recalled that in the latter part of 1930, after the receipt of the unanimous report of the International Commission of Inquiry, two communications were made to the Liberian Government by the American diplomatic representative in Monrovia,22 and that these communications were shortly thereafter transmitted to the Secretary General of the League of Nations for the information of the Governments parties to the International [Page 709] Slavery Convention of 1926.23 Moreover, in the conviction that the deplorable social conditions in Liberia ought rightly to be matters of international concern, the American Government accepted the invitation to participate in the work of an International Committee on Liberia established by the Council of the League in January 1931, and a few weeks ago the American representative at the meeting of this Committee then in session was instructed to call to the attention of that body reports of abuses by the Liberian Frontier Force similar to those on the basis of which the British Government now proposes direct representations at Monrovia.
The American Government, which shares the belief of the British Government that the recent activities of the Liberian Frontier Force have been brutally and inexcusably oppressive, is giving careful consideration to the suggestion of the British Government in the foregoing connection and is in entire sympathy with the end in view. In order, however, that the efforts to protect the natives of Liberia and subsequently to bring about a rehabilitation of the administration of the country may not be diffused because of any possible misapprehension as to the direction in which they could best be expressed, I should appreciate your confirming my understanding that the proposed joint action would be taken in line with, and as a means of strengthening the work of the International Committee, to which the American representative would, with his British and French colleagues, anticipate reporting these representations and their result. In this connection it is suggested that the British Government may wish to consider the inclusion in the proposed action of the representative of Germany, in order that there may be unanimous action on the part of all Powers represented in Monrovia which are also members of the International Committee. The American Government believes that in the circumstances it would be desirable if possible for the German representative to participate.
A telegram has been sent to the American Minister at Monrovia24 asking him to inform his British and French colleagues that the American Government would instruct him in this matter as soon as possible, and requesting him to state that he would appreciate their delaying action on their instructions pending the arrival of his own from Washington.
Accept [etc.]
- See telegram No. 97, November 3, 1930, 3 p.m., to the Chargé in Liberia and memorandum of November 17, 1930, to the Liberian Consulate General at Baltimore, Foreign Relations, 1930, vol. iii, pp. 365 and 369.↩
- Foreign Relations, 1928, vol. i, p. 419.↩
- No. 18, February 28, 2 p.m.; not printed.↩