819.51/956: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Panama ( Flexer )
63. The Legation’s despatch no. 545 of October 2520 and telegram no. 112 of October 25, 9 a.m.
You are requested to call immediately upon the Minister for Foreign Affairs and to inform him, leaving an aide-mémoire of your remarks, that this Government, while reserving the right to make further observations at a later date with respect to the recently enacted Guarantee Bond Bill, assumes that the provisions of Article 9 of this bill are [Page 817] not designed to apply to the Panama Railroad Company, whose rights are clearly set forth in the original concession obtained from the Colombian Government as subsequently confirmed by Article 8 of the Convention of 1903 between this Government and that of the Republic of Panama.
You should add that this Government also assumes that in view of the provisions of Article 10 of the Convention of 1903, the Panamanian Government does not maintain that the provisions of Articles 10 and 11 of the recently enacted Guarantee Bond Bill apply to officers, employees, laborers and other individuals in the service of the Canal, the Panama Railroad and the auxiliary works (including officers and men of the armed forces of the United States) who reside within territory subject to the jurisdiction of the Republic of Panama.
A memorandum21 covering the points mentioned in this telegram, as well as that in the Department’s 61 of October 28, 6 p.m., is being delivered to the Panamanian Minister in Washington.