838.51/8406

Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Welles) to the Chief of the Division of the American Republics (Duggan)

Mr. Duggan: The Minister of Haiti left here this morning the attached memorandum78 replying to our memorandum of June 22.

Confidentially, the Minister expressed to me the hope that the good offices of the United States might once more be exercised in behalf of Haiti with the Government of France in order that the French Government would give Haiti direct assurances that no obstacle would be placed in the way of Haiti selling to France that portion of her coffee crop which she cannot market in the United States and which customarily is purchased by French importers and, second, that the French Government would likewise agree to regard as liquidated this long standing controversy over the 1910 bond payments.

The Minister said that he thought the arrangement which was now being discussed between Haiti and France with regard to some compensation to the holders of the 1910 bonds was in the highest degree prejudicial to Haiti and would only open the door to further attempts on the part of the French bondholders for additional compensation in the future and was entirely unnecessary and required neither in law nor in equity.

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I told the Minister that we would be very glad once more informally to approach the French Government with a view to utilizing our good offices in behalf of Haiti but that of course I could give him no assurance at all that these steps would meet with any success.

S[umner] W[elles]
  1. Infra.