839.51/4029
The Minister in the Dominican Republic
(Schoenfeld)
to the Acting Secretary of
State
No. 1343
Santo
Domingo, December 13, 1933.
[Received
December 18.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of the Department’s telegraphic instruction No. 28 of December
11, 1933—5 p.m.,49 and
to enclose for the Department’s information a copy of a note addressed
by me yesterday to the Dominican Minister of Foreign Affairs in
pursuance of that instruction.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Respectfully yours,
[Page 668]
[Enclosure]
The American Minister (Schoenfeld) to the Dominican Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs (Logroño)
No. 153
Santo
Domingo, December 12, 1933.
Mr. Secretary: I have the honor to make
further reference to Your Excellency’s courteous note No. 612, dated
September 15, 1933,50
respecting the application of the surplus in the fund created by
Emergency Law No. 206, and to inform Your Excellency that I am
instructed by my Government to make the following statement on its
behalf:
The Government of the United States desires to make clear that, while
the Emergency Law of October 23, 1931, was enacted on the sole
responsibility of the Government of the Dominican Republic, the
Government of the United States considers that any other disposition
of the above mentioned surplus than that provided by the terms of
the Emergency Law itself should receive the express consent of the
bondholders. The Central Bondholders Committee when established
would appear to be the channel through which the Government of the
Dominican Republic could properly approach the holders of Dominican
external bonds in the matter.
On November 13, 1933, the Dominican Minister in Washington informed
the Department of State that the Emergency Law of October 23, 1931,
had been extended. Under date of November 28, 1933, the Department
of State replied that it has no authority to vary or sanction the
variation of the terms of the Convention which provides for the
service of the external debt of the Government of the Dominican
Republic. The Government of the United States understands that the
Government of the Dominican Republic expects to take up with the
Central Bondholders Committee now in process of organization the
matter of working out with the bondholders an arrangement with
respect to amortization of the bonds that will be mutually
satisfactory and that not more than six months will be necessary for
this purpose.
I avail myself [etc.]
