Mr. White to Mr.
Hay.
American Embassy,
London, December 20,
1902.
No. 1007.]Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith
copies of a cablegrama
which I received from you early yesterday morning; of a note which I
thereupon addressed and handed myself to the Marquis of Lansdowne at the
foreign office in the afternoon; of his lordship’s reply, which reached
me very shortly afterwards, and of a cablegrama which, upon the receipt of
Lord Lansdowne’s note, I sent you, relative to the proposed submission
of the claims of Great Britain and Germany to arbitration, and more
particularly to the action of the Venezuelan Government in conferring
upon our minister at Caracas full powers to enter into negotiations with
regard to the present difficulties of Great Britain and Germany with
Venezuela.
You will observe from Lord Lansdowne’s note that this Government, having
already accepted the proposal of the Venezuelan Government to refer to
arbitration the matters in controversy between the two governments, and
having expressed the hope that the President of the United States would
act as arbitrator, prefer to adhere to that decision rather than to
adopt an alternative proceeding. I may add that the moment he read my
note Lord Lansdowne said that he felt sure that such would be the view
of His Majesty’s Government, but that before giving me a definite answer
he would consult the prime minister and communicate in writing
immediately the Government’s reply, which he did within an hour.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure No. 1.]
Mr. White to
Lord Lansdowne.
American Embassy, London, December 19,
1902.
My Lord: I have the honor to inform your
lordship that Mr. Bowen, the American minister to Venezuela, has
informed my Government by telegraph that the
[Page 459]
Venezuelan Government has conferred upon him
full powers to enter into negotiations on the part of Venezuela to
settle the present difficulties with Great Britain, Germany, and
Italy.
I am instructed by Mr. Secretary Hay to communicate the Venezuelan
proposition to your lordship, and to ascertain whether His Majesty’s
Government be disposed to assent thereto.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure No. 2.]
Lord Lansdowne
to Mr. White.
Foreign Office, December 19, 1902.
Sir: I have had the honor to receive your
note of this day’s date, stating that Mr. Bowen, the American
minister at Caracas, has informed the United States Government that
the Venezuelan Government have conferred upon him full powers to
enter into negotiations with regard to the present difficulties with
Great Britain, Germany, and Italy. His Majesty’s Government have, as
you are aware, already accepted the proposal of the Venezuelan
Government to refer to arbitration the matters in controversy
between the two governments and have expressed their hope that the
President of the United States will consent to act as
arbitrator.
The conditions under which such arbitration might take place have
been fully considered, and I hope to make you aware of them in the
course of a few hours.
In these circumstances His Majesty’s Government prefer not to abandon
the proposals which they have already made, proposals which seem to
them to afford every hope of satisfactory settlement, in order to
adopt the alternative procedure which the Venezuelan Government have
apparently now suggested.
I have, etc.,
