810.154/1192
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Costa Rica (Hornibrook)
Sir: Careful attention has been given to the inquiry in the Costa Rican Government’s note of July 9, 1937 (a copy and translation of which was enclosed with your Legation’s despatch no. 1432, dated July 10, 1937)23 regarding the sum of money which the Government of the United States has decided to allot to furnishing machinery and materials for use in the construction of the section of the Inter-American Highway between Cartago and San Marcos, as proposed in the Costa Rican Government’s note of September 10, 1936,24 and accepted by the note which, in the Department’s instruction no. 387 of February 19, 1937, the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim was directed to address to the Government to which you are accredited. The receipt is also acknowledged of your Legation’s telegrams no. 47 of August 7, noon, no. 49 of August 10, 2 p.m., no. 53 of August 12, noon, no. 56 of August 28, 5 p.m., and no. 57 of August 31, 5 p.m.25
Please call the attention of the appropriate authorities to the fact that the clause “so far as available funds will permit”, contained in the note which your Legation was directed, in the instruction of February 19, 1937, to communicate to the Costa Rican Government, and quoted in the Costa Rican inquiry of July 9, modified only the offer to supply bituminous materials and cement and the additional equipment needed for applying the hard-surfacing materials, provided Costa Rica desired to have a hard surface on the Section of the highway in the construction of which your Government indicated its willingness to assist. You may assure the appropriate authorities that only the portion just referred to was conditional, explaining that the remainder of your Government’s commitment was unconditional and that your Government is prepared to expend the amount necessary to fulfill its unconditional commitment.
[Page 191]For your information, and for use at your discretion, in no case has your Government announced to any other the specific sum of money which it was prepared to spend in the proffered cooperation on the Inter-American Highway in that country. Your Government has, on the other hand, offered to perform certain specified work in each country which has accepted its proffered cooperation; and has been prepared to carry that work to completion.
With further reference, however, to your Government’s unconditional commitment, please explain to the appropriate Costa Rican authorities that it would be convenient for your Government to be informed in the near future, preferably not later than the closing of the present special session of the Costa Rican Congress, whether its offer is going to be accepted, so that if the Costa Rican Government should not desire to avail itself of your Government’s proffered cooperation, the funds hitherto reserved for work in Costa Rica can be used in additional work which is desired by governments that have already been cooperating with your Government in construction work on the Inter-American Highway in their countries.
Very truly yours,
- Not printed.↩
- Not printed, but see despatch No. 1262, September 29, 1936, from the Chargé in Costa Rica, Foreign Relations, 1936, vol. v, p. 168.↩
- None printed.↩