810.154/1118
The Secretary of State to
the Minister in Nicaragua (Long)
No. 123
Washington, February 19, 1937.
Sir: Reference is made to the Legation’s
despatches numbers 385 and 386, dated January 9, 1937, regarding
cooperative construction work on a portion of the Nicaraguan section of
the projected Inter-American Highway. There is enclosed the text of a
note which should be addressed by the Legation to the Ministry of
Foreign Relations of Nicaragua announcing the willingness of your
Government to cooperate on the work, in the manner specified by the
Nicaraguan Government in its two notes, also of January 9, 1937,
translations of which were enclosed with your despatches referred to
above. With reference especially to the cooperative construction of the
specified section of the Highway, you are directed informally to make
clear to the interested Nicaraguan authorities that the major portion of
the total costs of this work will have to be borne by the Nicaraguan
Government, while in the cooperative bridge construction work the major
portion of the total costs will be borne by your Government.
For your information there are enclosed copies of this Department’s
letter of January 19, 1937, to the Department of Agriculture and that
Department’s reply dated January 30, 1937.6
Very truly yours,
For the Secretary of State:
Wilbur
J. Carr
[Enclosure]
Text of Note To Be Addressed to the Nicaraguan
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Excellency: I am authorized to inform Your
Excellency that the cooperation in bridge and road construction work
along the route of
[Page 177]
the
Inter-American Highway proposed in your two notes dated January 9,
1937, has received careful consideration and the Government of the
United States will be able to cooperate on the work, in the manner
suggested by the Nicaraguan Government.
Engineers of the Bureau of Public Roads of the Department of
Agriculture of my Government have been instructed to proceed at once
with the detailed surveys and plans for the three bridges specified
by you and the final location of the section of road in the
construction of which my Government’s cooperation has been
requested.
In communicating to Your Excellency my Government’s willingness to
cooperate on the work in the manner specified by your Government, in
order to make certain that there shall be no misunderstanding, I am
asked to add the following explanations:
The three bridges now to be built are substituted for the Ochomogo
bridge formerly offered, (the offer of which is hereby withdrawn);
but the conditions specified to govern the cooperation of the two
Governments in the construction of that bridge will, it is
understood, govern in the construction of these three. The technical
representatives of the Bureau of Public Roads of my Government will
complete, insofar as they have not already done so, the location
surveys along the proposed section of the Highway and furnish
preliminary estimates of costs of the construction work for the use
of the interested Nicaraguan authorities. The Government of the
United States can furnish for the road construction specified such
road-building equipment as is considered necessary for the work,
with the understanding that such equipment will not be used on any
roads not on the route of the Inter-American Highway. In addition to
this road-building equipment, the United States Government can
furnish such steel beams, reenforcing metals and culvert pipes as
may be required for the drainage structures along the specified
section of the Highway and the bitumen needed to bind the surface.
It is understood that, as stated in one of your notes of January 9,
1937, referred to above, the Nicaraguan Government will furnish the
needed construction materials which can be obtained in Nicaragua for
both the bridge construction and road construction and also the
labor and money necessary to complete the construction work. It is
also understood by my Government that the Nicaraguan Government will
pay the costs of transporting to the various locations where they
will be used not only the materials needed which can be obtained in
Nicaragua but also (from the Nicaraguan ports where they shall be
landed) the road-building equipment and materials furnished by my
Government, including their passage over wharves or through customs
houses, no customs charges to be assessed against my Government on
any such equipment or materials. It is further understood that
Nicaragua will furnish all rights of way needed and in connection
with all transportation and construction,
[Page 178]
provide easements sufficient for needed
operations, and will hold the United States harmless under local law
for all employees liability obligations.
The necessary steps will be taken by my Government to assign an
engineer, in accordance with the request contained in one of Your
Excellency’s notes, referred to above, to supervise the road
construction work on the specified section of the Highway,
especially the placement of the materials supplied by my Government.
The Nicaraguan Government should assign as an assistant a local
engineer to collaborate with him; but the details of this assignment
and collaboration should be fixed only after discussions between
local technical representatives of the Bureau of Public Roads of my
Government and the appropriate Nicaraguan authorities.
Accept [etc.]
