751.8215/209
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Liberia (Hood)
Sir: The Department has received your despatch No. 285, of July 2, 1925, transmitting a note addressed to you by the Liberian Secretary [Page 497] of State, dated June 29, 1925,65 protesting against certain alleged aggressive acts of the French Republic upon the peace and territory of Liberia and requesting that the good offices of the United States be exercised in procuring a peaceful adjustment of the situation.
The Department has read the note of the Liberian Secretary of State and your covering despatch with great interest and believes that the present instance is one in which the good offices of this Government could be appropriately employed to effect a peaceful and equitable settlement of the boundary question.
You are therefore instructed to hand to the Liberian Secretary of State the following note:
“I have the honor to inform you that my Government has received my despatch of July 2, 1925, transmitting your note of June 29, 1925, concerning the reported aggressions of the French West African authorities upon Liberian territory, particularly in the region of Zinta (Zigida), and requesting that the good offices of the Government of the United States be employed in securing a peaceful settlement of the situation.
“I am instructed by my Government to state that your note has received its careful and sympathetic consideration, that my Government feels that the matter is one which is capable of a peaceful and amicable solution, and that it would be inclined to exercise its good offices in the effecting of such a settlement.
“Without wishing to discuss the questions involved in any detail, my Government would observe that it would appear that the principal cause of the troubles connected with the Franco-Liberian border is the failure of the Liberian and French Governments to continue and complete the work of delimiting the boundaries defined by the Franco-Liberian Treaty of September 18, 1907 and the Franco-Liberian Agreement of January 13, 1911. My Government is cognizant of the difficulties which have been encountered in this connection and of the delays which have arisen, but it is of the opinion that a fresh effort should be made at this time to resume the work of joint delimitation.
“You will recall that in a note dated January 27, 1921 the Secretary of State of Liberia informed my predecessor, Mr. Johnson,65 that the French Government had declined to proceed with the program of delimitation suggested in 1919 and 1920 on the ground that it was unnecessary and useless to determine any of the outstanding questions between the two governments until the purport of American plans in Liberia had been made manifest. The Secretary of State added that the Liberian Government was addressing a protest against this position of the French Government direct to Paris and that he would be grateful for American support in securing a settlement of the delimitation question.
[Page 498]“The American Ambassador in Paris was subsequently instructed67 to approach the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and to impress upon him that the Government of the United States, in the interest of a final adjustment of the boundary question, would be glad to learn of the willingness of the French Government to resume and complete the demarkation at an early date. The Ambassador reported the result of his representations in a despatch to the Department of State, dated January 5, 1922,68 and, on the basis of this despatch, the American Minister at Monrovia was instructed by telegraph, January 31, 1922,69 to suggest to the Liberian Government that the French Government be urged through the French representative at Monrovia to appoint and send a French Boundary Commissioner immediately to join the Liberian Boundary Commissioner to complete the work of delimitation.
“At that time my Government had reason for believing that such a course would produce the desired result. However, the Liberian Government decided not to act upon this suggestion at that time and in a note, dated March 31, 1922,70 informed the American Minister that the Liberian Department of State had been advised by the Boundary Commissioner that the best interest of the Republic would not be served by urging the immediate resumption of the delimitation; the Triangulation Control which the Boundary Commissioner had been engaged in establishing had only been completed for about one-half of the length of the Franco-Liberian Frontier; that unless the whole triangulation was put in before the delimitation was resumed the Commissioner would be obliged to depend upon the French data and maps which were not considered wholly reliable; the Department had therefore not yet approached the French Government on this matter; and that if and when any action was taken the Legation would be promptly advised.
“It does not appear from the information at the disposal of my Government that any further action has been taken by the Liberian Government since that date toward the renewal of negotiations with the French.
“Believing that future troubles can be avoided only through a definitive demarkation of the Franco-Liberian boundary, my Government directs me to suggest that the Liberian Government at this time approach the French Government through the Liberian Legation at Paris with the request that the French Government appoint and send a Boundary Commissioner to Liberia at the earliest possible date to complete the work of delimiting the boundary as defined by existing treaties and agreements.
“The American Ambassador in Paris has been informed of the existing situation and will be instructed to support the representations of the Liberian Minister in Paris as soon as my Government has received word that the Liberian representations are in fact being made.
“With regard to the reported border troubles and the occupation of disputed territory by French forces, it is suggested that the Liberian Minister in Paris be instructed to make representations to the [Page 499] French Government with a view to preventing recurrences of the former and to securing a reasonable modus vivendi with respect to the latter pending the definite establishing of the boundary.
“In connection with these questions, the American Ambassador at Paris will likewise be instructed to employ his good offices.
“Concerning the specific question of the French occupation of Zinta (Zigida), it is felt that a request for its evacuation by the French authorities during the period required for the completion of the demarkation of the boundary would not be unreasonable owing to the long continued occupation and administration of Zinta (Zigida) by the Liberian authorities. Nevertheless, in view of the greater importance of an early delimitation of the boundary, it is not believed that insistence on this point ought to be allowed to imperil the resumption of negotiations between the Liberian and French governments provided that the French Government evinces a desire to proceed immediately with the delimitation.
“If the Liberian Government should see fit to act upon the foregoing suggestions, I should be grateful to be informed of the action which it proposes to take in order that my Government may be advised accordingly.”
With reference to the last paragraph of this note, you should notify the Department by telegraph of any action taken by the Liberian Government in order that appropriate instructions may be sent to the American Ambassador in Paris.
A copy of this instruction has been sent to the American Ambassador in Paris for his information.
I am [etc.]
- Note not printed.↩
- Note not printed.↩
- December 3, 1921; see Foreign Relations, 1922, vol. ii, p. 634.↩
- Ibid., p. 635.↩
- Ibid., p. 636.↩
- Ibid., p. 637.↩