738.3915/427
The Minister in Haiti (Munro) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 16.]
Sir: With reference to my telegram No. 45, of May 28, 1931, 8 P.M., and with reference to the despatches from the American Legation at Santo Domingo, copies of which have been sent to this mission, I have the honor to report the following information regarding the situation on the southern portion of the frontier between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Several months ago a number of reports were received that the Haitian population in the districts along the southern part of the frontier were being subjected to mistreatment and extortion at the hands of the Dominican soldiers in some of the frontier posts. The Haitian Government requested the Commandant of the Garde to take steps to protect its citizens in that part of the region which according to the statement of the Haitian members of the Boundary Commission was indisputably Haitian territory. So far as I can ascertain, no Dominican troops were actually stationed in this territory at that time but small patrols were occasionally crossing what was alleged to be the recognized temporary boundary and committing abuses. Garde posts of from three to five men were therefore established at five points in this region, including Banane, Terre Froide Magnie, Royer, Boucan Ferdinand, and Colline Fanchon. The establishment of these posts appears to have resulted in a complete cessation of complaints without giving rise to any incidents between the Haitian Garde and the Dominican forces stationed on the other side of the line.
On May 28th. the Commandant of the Garde d’Haiti was requested to attend a conference with the President and his Cabinet. He found them apparently much excited and very indignant over the receipt of the note delivered by the Dominican Chargé d’Affaires, a copy of which was transmitted by Mr. Curtis in his despatch No. 412 of June 8th.5 The note referred to asserted that several of the [Page 774] places occupied by the Garde were within Dominican territory and stated that the Dominican Government had issued orders to the National Army to oppose any violation of the existing frontier line which might be attempted by authorities or civilians of the Republic of Haiti. The President requested General Williams to send at once to the frontier a large force of troops to repel any Dominican effort to occupy the territory referred to in the note.
General Williams and I felt that it was obviously the duty of the Garde to protect Haitian citizens in Haitian territory and to maintain such rights as the Haitian Government might have and also that it was essential to make certain that the small scattered Garde posts in the area in question should not be exposed to extermination if larger Dominican patrols should seek to enter the territory. We did not feel, however, that it was advisable to send any considerable force of troops to the frontier as the President had requested. In view of our responsibility toward the Garde d’Haiti and toward the Haitian Government, the obvious procedure appeared to be to suggest to the Department that representations be made to the Dominican Government to dissuade it from carrying out the threat made in its note to the Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is most satisfactory to note that the representations made by the American Legation at Santo Domingo appear to have been entirely successful in this respect.
In view of the possibility of an attack on the Haitian outposts in the frontier region, General Williams considered it advisable to make preparations for strengthening the Haitian garrisons in case of emergency. He therefore despatched fifteen men from Jacmel by boat to Anse-à-Pitres, a town which is of course indisputably Haitian. At the same time he gave orders to hold one company of the Garde in readiness at the barracks at Port-au-Prince for possible despatch to the frontier if their services should be needed. The members of this company were at the time scattered through the city and they were assembled by sending buglers to several points in the city late in the evening to blow assembly. One at least of these buglers appears to have been fired by an excess of zeal and blew so often and so vigorously as to create much popular excitement before he was finally stopped and brought back to headquarters. This rather unnecessary proceeding which was presumably not foreseen when orders were given to assemble the company, created the impression that serious events were impending and gave rise to much speculation as well as to accusations that the administration was endeavoring unnecessarily to alarm the population over the frontier situation. All preparations to send additional troops to the frontier were suspended on the following day and the men already sent to Anse-à-Pitres were ordered back.
[Page 775]In the meantime, Colonel Clarke, an officer of the Garde, had been sent to Anse-à-Pitres to make a personal investigation of the situation. He found everything completely tranquil on the frontier and was unable to learn that any incidents of a serious nature had occurred within recent months. He was received in a respectful and friendly manner at each place where he came into contact with Dominican outposts.
According to Colonel Clarke there appears to be no dispute about the boundary from the mouth of the Pédernales River upstream to Tête-à-l’Eau. The statement in the Dominican note regarding Banane, which falls within this area, is apparently due to a misunderstanding since there are two towns, Banane, one on the Haitian and the other on the Dominican side of the river, each with an outpost of soldiers. From Tête-à-l’Eau to the region of Fonds-Verrettes, however, the boundary seems to be in dispute because the Treaty of January 21, 1929, provides that the line starting from the Etang Saumatre shall run to Gros Mare or Gros Mat, it being apparently the impression of the signers of the Treaty that these two names referred to the same spot. It appears as a matter of fact that the two places are different and are several miles apart so that the line drawn from that point to Tête-à-l’Eau will vary considerably according to the starting place. A large part of the territory between the two possible lines is almost uninhabited and would appear valueless, but the southern portion is said by Colonel Clarke to be excellent coffee country with a considerable and exclusively Haitian population.
As the result of Colonel Clarke’s report, the outposts of the Garde have been ordered withdrawn from Terre Froide Magnie, Royer, Boucan Ferdinand, and Colline Fanchon, so that there are now no Haitian posts in this region in territory which might be regarded as under dispute.…
Respectfully yours,
- Despatch No. 412 and enclosure not printed.↩