File No. 738.3915/132.]
[Untitled]
Port au Prince, July 6, 1912.
Sir: I have the honor to report that upon receipt of Department’s June 29, I called upon President Leconte * * * and explained to him that the attitude of his Government in continuing to occupy territory to the east of the Pedernales River, notwithstanding the objections of the Santo Domingo Government, made it very difficult for the United States Government to proceed to arrange for the submission of the boundary question to arbitration; in fact, if his Government’s [Page 361] attitude was continued there might result grave eventualities which it would be impossible to prevent. I explained to him that by the status quo was meant that the two Governments would peaceably hold the territory which they had at the time the good offices of the United States Government were accepted for the amicable arrangement of the affair.
President Leconte said that it was his recollection that there were no Haitian posts to the east of the Pedernales River. He thought that the best way to verify that would be for me to make a trip there and see just where are the Haitian posts. He acknowledged, however, that some three or four places which the Dominicans occupied by invasion in January, 1911, had been retaken by the Haitians upon the temporary withdrawal of the Dominican guard after the death of President Cáceres. He justified his occupation of these places on the ground that for many years prior to 1911 they had been occupied by Haitian posts and were considered Haitian territory. When I explained to him that their reoccupation under the circumstances constituted a violation of the status quo, he replied that he does not think that the Dominicans are serious and really desire to definitely settle the boundary question; that they always have some excuse for not acting; but if there were a chance that the matter could be speedily settled he would be willing to withdraw the Haitian guards from the places in question, provided it would be guaranteed that pending settlement the places would remain neutral, that is that the Dominican soldiers would not occupy them.
I told the President that in accord with my information Haitian troops have invaded territory around Jimani and Lake Limon, territory heretofore recognized as Dominican. He denied this and said that the only way to prove his statement would be for me to go to the region and see for myself.
Before leaving the President I had him again affirm that, with a view to the speedy settlement of the question, upon the request of the State Department, he would withdraw from the contested places provided their neutrality would be assured.
The following day Secretary Léger called at the Legation and during the course of our conversation * * * said it would be impossible for the Haitian Government to abandon, under any pretext, the points now held on the frontier, points which he considers belong to Haiti, notwithstanding that they were occupied by the Dominicans when the United States was requested to use its good offices for the peaceful settlement of the incident. * * * I stated that by the status quo on the frontier was meant the occupation by the two Governments of such territory as was in their possession when the good offices of the United States were invoked and had no reference to prior occupation. I stated that I could not see any danger of Haiti losing by arbitration any contested point just because Santo Domingo for a short time had taken possession of it. I could not convince him that there was no necessity for Haiti to occupy all of the territory claimed by it in order that an award might be favorable to Haiti. He considered occupation sine qua non to arbitral award. * * *
I have [etc.]