714.44A15/153
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The British Ambassador called and brought up the negotiations between his Government and that of Guatemala regarding the halting of the attempted arbitration. He stated that the President of Guatemala was undertaking to prejudice the British situation in other countries nearby, including Mexico. I said that I was not at all sure that there was anything that I could say or do that would improve the present situation; that the President of Guatemala seemed to be somewhat wrought up and was rather adamant in his demand, which is in effect an outright refusal of the British offer of arbitration on the ground that they will not arbitrate the entire treaty situation.
I cited the experience of my own Government with Mexico in connection with the Chamizal arbitration, including our failure to carry out the award made against us.25 I said I assumed that some of these days this Government would pay Mexico a lump sum in settlement of the matter. I then asked the Ambassador if his Government had offered any lump sum settlement, and he replied in the negative. I left this hint before him.
- For award by the International Boundary Commission of June 15, 1911, see Foreign Relations, 1911, p. 573. For memorandum from the Department of State to the Mexican Embassy, August 24, 1911, rejecting the award, see ibid., p. 598.↩