611.2131/309
The Minister in Colombia (Dawson) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 25.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s air mail instruction No. 7 of May 11, 1935,11 enclosing for my information copies [Page 439] of various documents pertaining to the commercial treaty being negotiated between the United States and Colombia.
While it is to be presumed that the Colombian Minister in Washington has transmitted to his Government the Department’s counterproposal, no mention of the matter has been made by Colombian officials to any member of the Legation staff, nor have any reports touching the present status of the negotiations appeared in the press.
In view of the part played previously by Dr. Arturo Hernández, Chief of the Customs Tribunal, it occurred to me that it might be of some interest to know if the counterproposal had reached him. Since the Commercial Attaché has frequent occasions to see Dr. Hernández on other matters, I asked Mr. Brooks to take advantage of the first opportunity to call in the hope that he might volunteer some information. In the course of a conversation with Mr. Brooks on May 20, Dr. Hernández broached the subject himself and stated that he knew nothing concerning the negotiations which were being left to the Colombian Minister in Washington. It would seem from his remarks to Mr. Brooks that Dr. Hernández had not yet been acquainted with the most recent proposals. While this may indicate that he is to play a less prominent part than was formerly the case, it may on the other hand mean merely that consideration of the proposals by the higher Colombian officials has made little progress. Among factors which might have made for delay, I may mention the congressional elections being held during May, the illness of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the circumstance that the Minister of Finance, who replaces him temporarily, is himself particularly busy with budget matters at this time of the year.
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩