Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1937, The American Republics, Volume V

715.1715/800: Telegram

The Honduran Minister for Foreign Affairs (Lozano H.) to the Acting Secretary of State

[Translation]

Tegucigalpa, October 22, 1937—11 a.m.
[Received 2:46 p.m.]

I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of Your Excellency’s message dated yesterday whereby the Government of the United States, together with the Governments of Costa Rica and Venezuela, takes pleasure in tendering its good offices to the Governments of Honduras and Nicaragua with the hope that this friendly step might facilitate a peaceful solution of the boundary controversy^47a which unfortunately has arisen between the two Republics, stating further that in case the two Republics of Honduras and Nicaragua should be prepared to accept this tender of good offices, the three Governments would be very glad to present suggestions to the end of relieving the present tension in the relations between the Republics of Honduras and Nicaragua and that, once such result were obtained, to offer suggestions on the means acceptable to both parties which could be adopted by Honduras and Nicaragua with the purpose of arriving at a definitive settlement of the controversy. Being authorized by the constitutional President of the Republic, I am glad to inform Your Excellency that my Government accepts with pleasure the good offices of the Governments of the United States, Costa Rica and Venezuela, and I take the liberty of expressing to Your Excellency’s enlightened Government, as well as to the enlightened Governments of Costa Rica and Venezuela, the profound gratitude of the Government of Honduras for this noble and friendly step.

Respectfully,

Julio Lozano H.

1. In a note of November 20, 1952, to the American Embassy at Tegucigalpa, the Honduran Ministry for Foreign Affairs explained that “the phrase boundary controversy was established by the Honduran Delegation before the Mediating Committee at San José, Costa Rica (meeting of November 16, 1937), and refers solely to the conflict between Honduras and Nicaragua which gave rise to the offer of good services by the American Government, and not to territorial rights of both Republics which are defined by the Laudo of the King of Spain issued on December 23, 1906.” (023.1/11–2652)