File No. 838.77/163
The Secretary of State to Minister Blanchard
Washington, March 1, 1917, 4 p.m.
Your February 2, noon. On February 15 agreement on principal points reached between Ménos and Farnham in National Railroad Company dispute. Copy of agreement as well as list of unsettled points to be referred to Ruan as umpire go forward by mail instructions.
In order to facilitate settlement of question Department offered to exert its diplomatic good offices in bringing before Government of Haiti two points, which were considered as being outside of matters under discussion, in which railroad company was greatly interested and wished to have Haitian Government settle at earliest possible moment. These points are as follows:
First: The affixing of the signature of the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Haiti, or his designate, to the guarantee of the Haitian Government inscribed upon bonds of the Compagnie Nationale des Chemins de Fer d’Haiti to an amount of $44,600 which [Page 830] were duly authorized by the Haitian Government in June, 1914, to be issued upon 2.23 kilometers of principal track constructed and put in operation in May 1914. Second: the payment of the six semiannual coupons now in default, together with accrued interest thereon, upon the authorized outstanding bonds of the Compagnie Nationale des Chemins de Fer d’Haiti at the earliest date upon which the Financial Adviser shall have available for such purpose funds of the Government of Haiti. Instructions have been given to the secretary of the railroad company at Port au Prince to place at the disposition of the American Minister and of the Financial Adviser all documents and information concerning both the acceptance by the Haitian Government of the 2.23 kilometers of track, and concerning the defaults upon the bonds of the railroad company both as above referred to.
You will present these two matters to Government of Haiti stating that this Government is confident that the Government of Haiti will give them immediate attention and issue instructions at the earliest possible moment for the signature of the bonds and that the question of the payment of the interest on the railroad bonds will be taken up as soon as possible.
You will also give a paraphrase of this cable to the Financial Adviser for his information and state to him the importance of early settlement of these two matters presented by railroad company.