Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 3, 1906, (In two parts), Part I

The Acting Secretary of State to Minister Merry.

[Telegram.—Paraphrase.]

Department of State,
Washington, July 18, 1906.

(Mr. Bacon states that the Department does not understand why any representative of Costa Rica or Nicaragua should be included. The Department fears that Mr. Merry does not understand the scope of the negotiations, which must be made only between the actual belligerents. Mr. Bacon states that no instructions have been sent to Mr. Merry to include but the two countries, Salvador and Guatemala, and that if he has assented in any further participation he has gone beyond his authority. Also states that this is not a general conference of Central American States, but a negotiation for peace between the belligerents.

Mr. Bacon states that it is the President’s desire and expectation that the conference on board the Marblehead come within the terms of his message to the Presidents of Guatemala and Salvador, with the addition of Honduras, which is now one of the belligerents in alliance with Salvador.

The President further understands that the minister of the United States to each of these countries, and the minister of Mexico to Central America shall be present in a purely friendly and advisory capacity and not parties to the negotiations.)