715.1715/730a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Honduras (Erwin)
34. I asked the Chargé d’Affaires of Honduras to call this morning and expressed to him the friendly concern with which this Government viewed the delay on the part of the Government of Honduras in suggesting to this Government the names of the other American republics which it would desire to see associated in the tender of good offices as indicated in my earlier message.
I asked the Chargé d’Affaires to transmit by cable this expression of concern to his Government and to emphasize the following points:
1. That in view of the increasing agitation in both republics and in view of the reports received of alleged military preparations both in Honduras and in Nicaragua, it would seem to be urgently necessary that this tension be relieved and that it would seem that the best way of accomplishing this result was for the two governments to permit other American states in whom they jointly had confidence to extend their good offices for the purpose of seeking to find a possible settlement of these difficulties;
2. That when the representatives of the countries extending their good offices met, the Government of Honduras could then with complete liberty of action and with every right make known its position with regard to the arbitral award and indicate its unwillingness to accept any proposed solution other than one based upon the recognition of the validity of the award. It would then devolve upon the nations extending their good offices to try and find the ways and means of devising the basis for a practical and pacific solution acceptable both to Honduras and to Nicaragua.
In conclusion I requested the Chargé d’Affaires to inform his Government that the Government of the United States was receiving increasingly serious reports of preparations being made for possible hostilities both in Honduras and Nicaragua; that it hoped that Honduras might, consequently, in the immediate future suggest the names of other American republics to join in the extension of good offices, but that if Honduras, for some reason of which this Government is unaware, refrained from making such suggestions and of thus indicating its willingness to permit of the extension of the good offices [Page 88] which it has officially stated it was willing to accept, the United States Government, because of the declaration jointly made by every American republic at the Conference at Buenos Aires that a threat to the peace of any republic was a matter of legitimate concern to all of the other American republics, would feel itself compelled, because of its desire to assure the maintenance of peace on the American continent, to suggest to all of the other American republics joint consultation for the purpose of determining what friendly solution might be suggested by all of the republics for the pacific settlement of this controversy.
The Chargé d’Affaires assured me that he would cable his Government immediately in the above sense. He expressed his personal regret for the delay in the receipt by this Government of the suggestions requested from the Government of Honduras.
The Department desires you to reiterate the points above enumerated to the Minister for Foreign Affairs at the first possible opportunity and to keep the Department closely advised by telegram of all developments and of any reply which the Minister may make.