715.1715/510: Telegram
The Chargé in Honduras (Cramp) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9 p.m.]
27. The Minister for Foreign Affairs called at the Legation this morning to request the possible extension of the good offices of the Government of the United States in a matter which has arisen concerning the boundary between Nicaragua and Honduras.
On August 4 letters arrived here from Nicaragua bearing a 10 centavos Nicaraguan air mail stamp on the face of which appears a map of section of Central America with a considerable portion of Honduran territory as shown on most maps marked “territory in litigation.”
This area includes the territory of Mosquitia and about half of the Departments of Colon and Olancho.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that Honduras had considered the boundary question closed since the arbitration award of the King of Spain in 1906;14 that Nicaragua had again raised the question in 191815 at which time the United States had offered their services which were accepted by Honduras but not by Nicaragua, but that the matter had been dropped and had remained dormant since then.
He showed me the note to be sent to the Nicaraguan Government today which stated: that the Honduran Government regarded this stamp issue as an unfriendly act; that it was an infringement of its national sovereignty; that although it realized the danger of arousing hostile feeling among peoples of neighboring nations it must request the immediate withdrawal of the stamp from circulation; and that it was sure the Nicaraguan Government in the interest of maintaining friendly relations would order such a withdrawal.
[Page 57]In addition to this vigorous protest the Minister told me that all mail received bearing the stamp would be returned to Nicaragua undelivered but that the Honduran Government would be satisfied with the immediate withdrawal of the stamp and that he hoped for an amicable settlement.
I will keep Department informed of developments.
- Award of December 23, 1906, British and Foreign State Papers, vol. c, p. 1096.↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1918, pp. 11 ff.↩