439.41 St 3/15
The British Ambassador (Geddes) to the Secretary of State
Sir: With reference to the note which you were good enough to address to me on July 5th, with regard to the injuries sustained by two British subjects, Thomas J. Steel and Dougald [Dugal] McPhail, at the hands of Dominican bandits, I have the honour to inform you, on instructions from my Government, that these two gentlemen have been advised to apply to the Procurador Fiscal of the Judicial District of San Pedro de Macoris in accordance with the recommendation contained in your note under reference. His Majesty’s Government, however, consider that their claim is one which would fall within the scope of the article on claims which occurs in the draft treaty understood to have been presented to the Mexican Government by the United States Government on May 27, 192171 and quoted in a note addressed by the United States Ambassador in London to the Earl of Balfour on July 12th last.72
His Britannic Majesty’s Government desire accordingly to reserve the right to press this claim through the diplomatic channel if there should be a denial of justice in the Dominican Courts. His Britannic Majesty’s Government trust moreover, that they can count on the support of the United States Government in prosecuting this claim in view of the fact that the latter are in de facto control of the administration of Santo Domingo.
I have [etc.]
- See despatch no. 3929, June 3, 1921, from the American Chargé in Mexico, Foreign Relations, 1921, vol. ii, p. 404. For draft of the treaty, see ibid., p. 397.↩
- Not printed.↩