Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The American Republics, Volume VII

810.154/3324: Airgram

The Ambassador in the Dominican Republic ( Briggs ) to the Secretary of State

Ciudad Trujillo , June 13, 1944—10:30 a.m.
[Received June 16—11 a.m.]

A–264. Reference Department’s telegram no. 217 of June 8, 1944, 4 p.m. All location, clearing and grading on the Jimaní–Cabral section was completed during April. Arrangements were begun toward setting up a project voucher covering the operation of surfacing the approximately 62 kilometers remaining. The Resident Engineer of the Public Roads Administration⁴ prepared an estimate of the cost of such operations, requesting at the same time that the Dirección General de Obras Públicas prepare a similar estimate.

The estimate submitted by the Dirección General de Obras Públicas on May 19 was for a total of approximately $72,000. The estimate which the Resident Engineer had prepared was for a total of approximately $40,000. After examination of the two sets of figures, however, it was found that the main reason for this divergence lay in the fact that the Director General de Obras Públicas⁵ had included in his estimate certain items which, in the opinion of the Resident Engineer, are not essential for the completion of the road as envisaged in the Memorandum of Understanding.⁶ Those items are essentially refinements of construction which, although perhaps desirable from the viewpoint of the Dominican Government, are not in Gardner’s opinion essential to this road, which was intended primarily as an emergency route.

A memorandum setting forth these views and demonstrating which items are justifiable was submitted to the Dirección General de Obras Públicas on June 5, 1944. The Director General stated, upon presentation of the memorandum, that he intended to recommend that a project voucher be set up covering the costs as estimated by the Resident Engineer and that the road be completed in accordance with the Director General’s specifications with the Dominican Government paying any difference in cost.

I am awaiting his definitive reply and will at once inform the Department on its receipt.

Briggs

4. Frank H. Gardner.
5. José A. Fernández.
6. The original road-construction agreement signed at Ciudad Trujillo, November 9, 1942; for text, see Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. v, p. 276.