714.1515/974: Telegram
The Chargé in Guatemala (Hawks) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:30 p.m.]
149. Referring to the telegram of November 7, 4 p.m., from the Legation in Honduras. At the request of the Minister for Foreign Affairs I called on him this morning and he told me that he had just received from the Guatemalan Legation at Tegucigalpa a copy of the text of the acceptance of the Government of Honduras as published in a newspaper of Tegucigalpa. He said that if this text was correct the terms of the acceptance were such that they absolutely closed the door to the discussion of any other viewpoint than that of Honduras, namely, that the boundary question be submitted to one of the American members of The Hague Court and be decided on a purely juridic basis and that under these circumstances it was absolutely useless to convene the conference as, unless Guatemala accepted in its entirety the point of view of Honduras, no result could be obtained.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs said that he desires (1) that the acceptance of Honduras be so written as to leave the way open for the discussion of points of view other than that of Honduras, this having already been done by Guatemala and (2) that the instructions given to both delegations be communicated to the Department of State prior to the calling of the conference in order that the latter may decide whether these instructions were flexible enough to admit possibility of a successful termination of the conference.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs said that he had telegraphed the Legation in Washington this morning to inform the Department that if the text of the Honduranean acceptance was as he had been informed the Government of Guatemala feels that it is useless to call the conference.
Mr. Salazar, who was present at this interview, stated that he was in complete accord with the position taken by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The terms of the Honduranean acceptance have undoubtedly intensified the feeling already strong here that Guatemala has in [Page 971] the negotiations of the past year and a half made all the concessions while Honduras has made none.
Repeated to Honduras.