715.1715/1459
The Chargé in Honduras (Salter) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 17.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that Don José Augusto Padilla, the Honduran engineer who was a technical adviser to the Honduran delegation to the San José Mediation Conference and who is now permanently employed in an advisory capacity in the Foreign Office, called voluntarily at the Legation a few days ago and had a brief conversation with me.
Mr. Padilla spoke principally about the recent visit to Tegucigalpa of Mr. John B. Ocheltree, the Secretary of the American member of the Mediation Commission. As the Department is aware, Mr. Ocheltree visited Tegucigalpa during the middle of July for the purpose of exhibiting to President Carías and other interested Honduran officials certain slides which had been made in the Department. The President, as Mr. Ocheltree informed the Department, viewed the slides at the Casa Presidencial on July 17, 1939.
Mr. Padilla told me that he enjoyed seeing Mr. Ocheltree again and took advantage of the opportunity to talk very frankly with him about the Honduras–Nicaragua border controversy. He said that the effect of showing the slides was to bring home clearly the fact that existing maps of the territory in dispute are inaccurate. This, however, he hastened to point out, was already known to the Hondurans.
Mr. Padilla intimated that the Government of Honduras is very much opposed to a new map of the region until it is agreed before the Mediation Commission to accept the validity of the Award of the King of Spain. Then, he added, Honduras will be ready to aid in the preparation of an accurate map of the area in dispute.
[Page 170]He concluded his remarks by stating that it must not be forgotten that the thesis of Honduras in the controversy is the validity of the Award, and the Honduran Government cannot and will not agree to take any steps which might tend to weaken this stand. An aerial survey of the territory, undertaken before the validity of the Award is agreed to, might tend to weaken Honduras’ position, he observed. He pointed out that he realized Honduras may lose territory by a survey and drawing of an accurate map, if the boundary is fixed according to the Award of the King of Spain, but the Government is willing to take this risk in order to have its contention accepted.
Respectfully yours,