File No. 711.21/316.
The Minister of Colombia to the Secretary of State.
Washington, April 17, 1915.
Sir: The enemies of the Treaty between Colombia and the United States have fought it, and will go on fighting it, without regard to means however unlawful they may be. Through the press they have published all sorts of falsehoods and calumnies. It is said that Colombia has “associates,” thereby suggesting persons with whom she will share the indemnity for the damages suffered by the loss of Panama.
The declaration and statements made by my Government and by this Legation have not been sufficient to destroy such a stupid calumny.
One of the falsehoods that the enemies of the treaty continue to spread is that this agreement of justice and international harmony was shaped in virtue of intrigues and influences of political persons and lawyers who took part in the settlement of the questions. In this particular your excellency’s honorable testimony will be of high service to show the truth and I respectfully beseech for it, in order to have a genuine statement in an official note from your excellency that the treaty signed April 6, 1914, between Colombia and the United States was performed without absolutely there having been [Page 262] at work any influence of political personages or lawyers or any other class of people.
The diplomatic antecedents of said treaty began to be prepared with the Root-Cortés Treaty under Mr. Roosevelt’s administration, they were continued by Mr. Taft’s administration and had their natural and logical complement in the treaty whose approval by the American Senate some people want to prevent at any cost by the use of means contrary to truth and justice.
In the hope that your excellency will be pleased to give me the testimony hereby requested,
I take [etc.]