718.1915/509
The Panaman Minister of Foreign Affairs on Special Mission (Garay) to the Secretary of State
Most Excellent Sir: In sending on this day to the President of Panama a report of the interview that Your Excellency so kindly granted me yesterday at 1 p.m., I have said as follows: that Your Excellency would be glad to have Panama and Costa Rica arrive [Page 214] at a direct settlement of the boundary disputes pending between the two countries; that to that end Your Excellency had spontaneously offered me a reasonable extension of the time referred to in Your Excellency’s instruction to the American Legation at Panama of May 2 last;7 that the Government of the United States would not take it ill if the Government of Costa Rica should enter upon direct arrangements with that of Panama nor would it consider it as a slight, and that Your Excellency had so advised Costa Rica; that Panama might avail itself of the extension of time to endeavor to reach a direct settlement with Costa Rica and Your Excellency added on this point—if my memory serves me—to appoint their respective boundary commissions.
With respect to that last sentence, there remains in my mind a doubt which I must clarify as soon as possible so as to be able to report in entire good faith to the President of Panama as to the true intentions and views of Your Excellency’s Government.
The extension of time granted by Your Excellency, I understand, is mainly intended to facilitate a direct agreement between the parties concerned. The Government of the United States—according to what Your Excellency also said to me—is not interested in the matter which does not directly concern it, nor does it wish, therefore, to dictate the kind of solution that may be sought; and the appointment of boundary commissions cannot be considered except as a final consequence of the boundary agreement that the two countries may conclude.
The undersigned has not regarded this extension of time as subordinated sine qua non to the appointment of boundary commissions which would carry out on the ground a specified award but as a possibility offered to him to try to arrive at a solution of the conflict in closer accord with the aspirations of Panama and the dictates of reason and equity.
I have the honor to submit this point to Your Excellency’s consideration and to ask you kindly to tell me, as soon as your many occupations will permit, whether I have correctly interpreted Your Excellency’s words.
I avail myself [etc.]