817.812/883: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Nicaragua ( Nicholson )
75. Reference your despatch no. 679, September 22.24 In view of the present state of negotiations between Costa Rica and Nicaragua with regard to the proposed treaty for the canalization of the San Juan River, the Department would not wish to authorize Colonel Gross to proceed to San José unless his presence there should be considered essential for the purpose of furnishing the Costa Rican authorities with technical information of an engineering nature. It would be preferable in any event to furnish this information if possible through the Nicaraguan Government or by correspondence, as it is desired to avoid even the appearance that we are participating in any way in the negotiations. In this connection you are reminded of the memorandum of conversation forwarded with the Department’s instruction no. 226 of August 10.24 Please telegraph your views and recommendations on this question.
If the object of Colonel Gross’ proposed visit to Costa Rica is to obtain information of an economic nature, it would be possible for the [Page 741] Department to obtain such information from the Costa Rican Government through its regular representatives in San José.