Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1919, Volume II

417.41/–

The British Ambassador (Spring Rice) to the Secretary of State

Washington, June 29, 1916.

No. 187

Sir: With reference to my note No. 97 of April 12¹ and your reply No. 1160 of May 5² I have the honour under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to enclose herewith four lists of British Claims against the Nicaraguan Government.³

• List 1 comprises claims for arbitrary acts and on account of War exactions.
• List 2 comprises claims for cash or goods supplied or services rendered to the Nicaraguan Government and recognized by them.
• List 3 comprises Promissory Notes of the Nicaraguan Government received by British subjects in payments of debts.
• List 4 comprises Promissory Notes of the Treasurer of the Republic of Nicaragua held by British firms in guarantee of amounts due to them by local firms.

Certified copies of the documents proving the acknowledgment by the Nicaraguan Government of all the claims and debts referred to in Lists 2, 3 and 4 are in possession of His Majesty’s Embassy and can be submitted to your Department for convenience of reference should you so desire.

As regards the claims enumerated on List 1, they were, as stated in my Note to you No. 393 of October 28 1915,⁴ recognized by the Nicaraguan Government in 1912 in a formal agreement with His Majesty’s Government whereby the former agreed to pay the sum of £15,800 cash in settlement of outstanding claims of British subjects up to that date, also £4000, for claims arising out of the revolution of 1912, i.e. a sum of £19,800, together with accrued interest. These claims are accordingly on a different footing from those on the other lists and in any settlement that may be arrived at they should be paid in full.

It is possible that other holders of British claims may come forward and reservation is made as to their inclusion before a final settlement is reached.

The claims of holders of Greytown bonds have not been included in any of the lists.

I shall be glad to be informed, should there be no objection, of the manner in which it is proposed to execute Article III of the Treaty between the United States and Nicaragua.⁵

I have [etc.]

For the Ambassador:

Colville Barclay

1. Foreign Relations, 1916, p. 833.
2. Ibid., p. 836.
3. Not printed.
4. Foreign Relations, 1915, p. 1118.
5. Foreign Relations, 1916, p. 851.