840.51 Frozen Credits/10346
The Venezuelan Minister for Foreign Affairs ( Parra-Pérez ) to the American Ambassador in Venezuela ( Corrigan )84
Mr. Ambassador: I have the honor to communicate to Your Excellency that the Swiss Legation in France has made it known to the Government of Venezuela that the Municipality of Paris is now claiming payment of taxes due on the property of the following Venezuelan citizens: Rafael D. Revenga, Juan S. Mendoza, Lorenzo Mendoza, Elisa Mendoza de Rodríguez Azpúrua and the heirs of Luis Nuñez. The total amount owing is approximately 100,000 French Francs, which must be paid as soon as possible inasmuch as the French authorities threaten to proceed to auction off the debtors’ property.
As a measure of protection of the legitimate interests of its nationals, which would suffer grave damage because of said non-payment, the Government of Venezuela has decided to authorize the exportation [Page 832] of the required funds and has accepted the offer made by the Swiss Government to effect such payment for the account of the interested parties and consequently trusts that the Government of the United States of America will be good enough to issue the necessary instructions to the appropriate authorities so that the credit houses in that country may offer the necessary banking facilities for the remittance of said funds to the Swiss Government.
I take this opportunity [etc.]
- Copy transmitted to the Department by the Chargé in Venezuela in his despatch No. 4368, May 5; received May 10.↩