718.1915/698a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Panama (South)
10. You will please say to the Panaman Government that this Government has been approached by the Costa Rican Government with a view to the delimitation of the boundary between Panama and Costa Rica. This matter has been dragging on for a number of years now without any advance having been made in its final determination. The Costa Rican Government is naturally anxious to have this matter settled in order to avoid disagreeable and regrettable frontier incidents. Now that there are new administrations in both Panama and Costa Rica since the regrettable occurrence of 1921,21 it should be possible for this matter to be disposed of without further friction. This Government would therefore be happy to have Panama appoint its engineer to delimit, in conjunction with those appointed by the arbitrator and by the Government of Costa Rica, the boundary as set forth in the arbitral award.
The matter has been discussed informally with Señor Alfaro22 who harps back to the old Panaman contention that the Chief Justice exceeded his authority and that his award is null and void. This Government cannot reopen that matter it having been carefully considered and the Department’s views thereon were very clearly stated in its notes to the Panaman Government in 1921. In this connection see especially the Department’s 28 and 38 of March 15, 8 p.m., and April 27, 5 p.m., 1921, respectively.23 Cable results of your representations.
- See Foreign Relations, 1921, vol. i, pp. 175 ff.↩
- Ricardo J. Alfaro, Panaman Minister in the United States.↩
- Foreign Relations, 1921, vol. i, pp. 184 and 207.↩