711.1427/1
The Minister in Guatemala (Whitehouse) to the Secretary of
State
No. 909
Guatemala, March 29, 1933.
[Received April
8.]
Sir: In accordance with your instruction
No. 260 of January 27th last,10 the Legation
wrote to the Guatemalan Foreign Office with reference to reaching an
agreement on commercial aviation with the
[Page 615]
parties to the Habana Convention, and I have
the honor to report that I am now in receipt of a reply from the
Guatemalan Government, dated March 27th, a copy and translation of
which are enclosed. The substance of this reply is that in time of
peace duly licensed airships have free passage over Guatemalan
territory provided they observe the rules laid down in the present
regulations and, if the nationality of the airship is that of a
country which has a treaty with Guatemala on aerial navigation, it
will receive its clearance papers from the Guatemalan Consulate
before departure.
Respectfully yours,
[Enclosure—Translation]
The Guatemalan Minister for Foreign
Affairs (Skinner Klée) to the
American Minister (Whitehouse)
No. 2809
369.4 (73–0)
Guatemala, March 27,
1933.
Mr. Minister: Referring to your
Legation’s courteous note, dated February 14 last, in regard to
the Convention on Commercial Aviation which was entered into at
Habana, Cuba, I have the honor to transcribe to Your Excellency
the report given on the 24th of this month by the General Bureau
of Aeronautics:
Mr. Secretary: In compliance with your recent inquiry
which resulted from the request made to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs by the Legation of the United States of
America in this capital with the object of obtaining
from the aeronautic officials a statement with respect
to the requisitions which the Government of Guatemala
demands for the entry and departure of airships, I have
the honor to inform you that: in accordance with Article
13 of the Civil Aviation Regulations of Guatemala,—“In
time of peace, airships of any nationality which are
duly licensed shall have free passage above national
territory, provided that they observe the rules laid
down in the present Regulation”; and, based on that law,
this Bureau states that one of the necessary formalities
or requirements is, as stated in Article 55 of the above
mentioned regulation, which literally says, “If the
nationality of the civil airship which desires to fly
over Guatemalan territory is that of a country which has
a treaty with Guatemala on the subject of aerial
navigation, it shall be cleared by the Guatemalan Consul
at the point of departure, in accordance with the fixed
agreement, it being specified that it is not an
apparatus which is going to serve on a regular
international aerial line in Guatemala and the purpose
of the journey stated. Airships of companies which serve
on regular lines duly controlled by the General Bureau
of Aeronautics do not need to comply with the aforegoing
requirement”.
I express my high consideration, (s) J. Victor Mejía.
I avail myself [etc.]
