838.00/1749

The Military Representative in Haiti (Knapp) to the Secretary of State

No. 8

Sir: I have the honor to report as follows concerning the mission upon which I have come to Haiti:

[Page 801]

On Thursday, September ninth, I hoisted my flag on board the U.S.S. Minnesota and proceeded to sea, arriving at Port au Prince on Monday, September thirteenth, in the afternoon. I at once went ashore and called upon the Minister, who returned my call the next day. I did not seek an audience with the President at once as I wished to familiarize myself with conditions by consultations with the Minister and treaty officials. When I was ready to have an audience with the President, I heard that he was recovering from an illness and so the request for an audience was delayed until Friday, September seventeenth. The audience was set for the following morning. With the American Minister I called upon the President, accompanied by Captain Hasbrouck of the Minnesota and the members of my personal staff. As I expected, I found the President surrounded by his cabinet, and I therefore turned the visit into one of pure formality; but, on leaving, requested the President to give me and the Minister a private audience on Monday, which he did.

On Monday, September twentieth, the Minister and I had an audience of over two hours with the President, at the end of which he assured me that the wishes of the United States Government would be met. I therefore trust that affairs are in a way to being arranged satisfactorily. Upon arrival here I found that the Council of State had been called to meet on the sixth instant, but that it had not yet received the special message of the President outlining the business before it. It, therefore, met only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the accomplishment of certain routine business before it, but awaiting the President’s special message. The Council of State met yesterday in regular session, but I have not yet heard whether the President’s message was sent to it. A rumor from a Haitian source considered ordinarily accurate is to the effect that after the visit of Minister Bailly-Blanchard and myself on Monday there was a meeting of the Cabinet at which it was decided to put through the program of the United States. This is given for what it may be worth.

I enclose a summary of the conversation held with the President. After talking with well informed people here, I was quite prepared for its outcome, as the opinion seemed to be general that the Haitian Government was simply seeking to get out of the bad situation without too much loss of face. There is, of course, still a chance of a hitch in the proceedings on the part of the Haitians; but, on the whole, I think the situation may be regarded with optimism.

In pursuit of the discretion given me, and after discussing the point with the Minister and Mr. McIlhenny, it was considered wise to pay the suspended salaries for the months of July and August. [Page 802] When I reached here I was under the mistaken impression that the salaries of the Council of State had been paid for the month of July, owing either to a mistake in Washington in deciphering the message of the Minister or to a possible mistake in the paraphrasing of the despatch. I found, however, that no salaries had been paid, either to the Council of State, the President, or the Cabinet, for the month of July. The period of thirty days which was offered to the President for the completion of the immediate program desired by the United States was fixed upon after considerable discussion. It was recognized that the President would need a certain amount of time to put the program through. This may be shorter or longer, according to circumstances, but thirty days was considered a liberal allowance if he went at it with entire good faith; on the other hand, thirty days retains the status quo until October twentieth in case the President does not, or is not able to, fulfill his undertaking. This postponement of the necessity for any further action was believed by the Minister and myself to be not in itself undesirable, in view of the conditions in the United States.

I am [etc.]

H. S. Knapp
[Enclosure]

Memorandum of the Military Representative in Haiti (Knapp) of an Interview with President Dartiguenave

By appointment at a private audience with the President of Haiti, Monday, 20 September 1920, Rear Admiral Knapp explained orally his mission to Haiti to the President, assuring him of the continued earnest desire of the United States Government to cooperate with the Government of Haiti in measures to be taken in accordance with the Treaty between the two countries.

Rear Admiral Knapp spoke of his recent visit to Washington, and of his personal interview with the Secretary of State and the latter’s principal assistants, as a result of which he was able to assure the President that, though the personnel of the State Department had been changed, the sentiment animating the personnel with regard to matters pertaining to Haiti was unchanged and was one of the highest altruistic purpose.

Rear Admiral Knapp spoke of the concern felt by the United States in the recent lack of cooperation on the part of Haiti, which seemingly amounts to an attitude of obstruction in certain matters. He referred to the agreement entered into between Haiti and the United States on 24 August, 1918, in accordance with which no laws affecting the Treaty were to be placed in effect by the Haitian Government until accord had been reached through the American [Page 803] Minister, who would express the views of the American Government. He referred also to the later understanding by virtue of which a modus operandi was established to insure that the agreement of 24 August 1918 would be observed. He then expressed the concern of the United States over the fact that Haiti had ignored both the agreement of 24 August 1918 and the later understanding of November 1919, and went on to say that the United States Government had noted with pleasure the last paragraph of Minister Barau’s communication presented by the Haitian Chargé d’Affaires to the State Department on 23 August 1920,35 and that in consequence he had been instructed to say that the American Government would confidently expect the President of Haiti to see that the laws which have been promulgated in contravention of these arrangements would be at once revoked, and that he was further instructed to say that the American Government would likewise confidently expect that certain other laws would be immediately passed. This was presented as an immediate program. Reference was made to the fact that the terms of the paragraph referred to in Minister Barau’s communication were general, but the confident belief was expressed that the President would at this interview give his definite personal assurance that this immediate program would be put through. The President was then told that he might have thirty days in which to put this immediate program through; and that, furthermore, as an earnest of the sincere desire of the United States Government to reach an accord with the Government of Haiti and remove the misunderstanding that seems to have arisen, if the assurance regarding the immediate programme were given by the President, the Minister would authorize the payment of the suspended salaries for the months of July and August, and that when the program was finally concluded in accordance with this assurance, that the order to suspend salaries would be entirely withdrawn.

Rear Admiral Knapp referred to other matters, which the American Government had instructed might be left in abeyance while this immediate program was being undertaken, and which it did not include in the immediate program, referring to the Bank Contract and allied questions. He made it plain, however, that the American Government considered it a matter of principle that the Haitian Government should live up to the obligations which it had undertaken, and that therefore the laws which have already been passed and promulgated in contravention of the agreement of 24 August 1918 must be revoked. He also made it plain that the American Government would expect the Haitian Government to undertake [Page 804] the passage of necessary measures in connection with the Bank Contract as soon as the ground should have been cleared by accomplishment of the immediate program placed before the President.

Rear Admiral Knapp pointed out to the President that the United States considered him, under the very peculiar circumstances existing, as the Government of Haiti. He referred to the support given to the President from the first day of his incumbency; to the good offices of the United States in the revision of the constitution, a special feature of which gave the President a term of seven years in office, although in future the term of office would be four years; to the further special provision of the Constitution by which a legislative body had been created which was not elected but was appointed by the President and depended upon his sole will. He also mentioned the fact that the President’s Cabinet was appointed by the President without, the necessity of having the advice and consent of the Senate, as is the case in the United States. Under all of these circumstances, some of which are temporary and exceptional, the President of Haiti, at the present moment and so long as the constitutional term of the Conseil d’Etat shall last, occupies a position of extraordinary personal power. The President was reminded that the United States Government was not unaware of his embarrassments; but, at the same time, that it was also fully aware of these extraordinary powers, and as a consequence it looks to him to carry out the necessary measures of cooperation under the Treaty as being himself the Government.

Rear Admiral Knapp referred to the confidence that had been placed in the President in the early days of his incumbency and until recently, but he also very frankly said that that confidence had been greatly shaken by the events of the past few months, and he informed the President that he could reestablish the confidence of the American Government by promptly taking in hand the measures that it desired and that had been indicated as the program for immediate execution. The President gave his formal assurance to the Minister and Rear Admiral Knapp that he would put through the program which has been referred to as immediate,—that is, the repeal of the laws which, while not necessarily objectionable in themselves, had been passed and promulgated in contravention of the agreement of 24 August 1918, and the passage of the laws which had been indicated as immediately necessary by the American Government in its recent note verbale.36 This assurance of the President was repeatedly made, and he said that the payment of the July and August salaries would greatly facilitate his task.

[Page 805]

Much conversation took place during the interview regarding certain of the laws which had been passed or were to be passed. Endeavor was made to have a perfectly clear understanding that the United States Government insists that the undertaking of the Haitian Government duly entered into must be observed with regard to the passage of laws. In connection with the laws to be passed as part of the immediate program, the President said that the Haitian Government would like to make certain observations, to which of course no exception could be taken, as that distinctly of itself is in accord with the agreement of 24 August 1918. No promises, however, were made that these observations would necessarily be accepted by the United States, but the thirty days of grace which has been granted would give ample time for their presentation and discussion.

A suggestion had been made that the President be required to give, in a written document over his signature, the assurance that he did give orally. This matter was debated in all its aspects by the Minister and Rear Admiral Knapp before the interview and they were agreed, at the end of their discussions on this matter as they were at the beginning, that such a requirement would be offensive to the dignity of the President of Haiti, and would be much more apt to do harm than good, and they also agreed that an oral assurance given by the President in the presence of both of them was as much as could possibly be expected. No reference was therefore made to any written assurance, and the matter rests as has been explained above, upon the oral assurance given by the President, which was however reiterated several times. The Minister asked the President if he gave this formal assurance as the President of Haiti, to which the President replied in the affirmative.

Later in the day, the order was given by the Minister to the Financial Adviser to make the payments of salaries for the months of July and August, and the matters are now in as advanced a state as is practicable until the expiration of the thirty days given for the execution of the program, or until the program shall have been executed within a shorter period of time.

The underlying motive of the action taken by the Minister and Rear Admiral Knapp was to save the susceptibilities of the Haitians to the greatest possible degree, while at the same time making perfectly clear the fact that the United States Government insisted upon a strict compliance with the terms of the agreement made by the Haitian Government, and to which its good name was pledged.

There is, of course, a possibility of a hitch in the proceedings if the Cabinet and the Council of State adopt an obstructive attitude that the President may not be able to control. This is to be feared, perhaps, but until such an attitude becomes manifest, there seems to [Page 806] be nothing to be done. If it does become manifest, the President will be informed that, if necessary, he must surround himself with a Cabinet and a Council of State that will keep faith with the United States. As the Council of State is now in session, and is meeting from day to day awaiting a message from the President, it should not be a long time before some indication becomes manifest of the way in which the matter will eventuate.

H. S. Knapp
  1. Ante, p. 780.
  2. See telegram no. 64, Aug. 12, to the Minister in Haiti, p. 774.