be resorted to for the purpose of guaranteeing a sufficient and punctual discharge of the obligation.

Should the President of the United States be willing to undertake the task of Arbitrator, the British and German Governments would avail themselves of his good offices with the highest satisfaction. || If it should unfortunately prove impossible for the President to render this important service to the two Governments, they are prepared to refer the questions at issue to arbitration by the Hague Tribunal.

Nr. 12922. VEREINIGTE STAATEN. - Der Botschafter in London an den englischen Minister des Ausw. Der Präsi

dent ist mit den Vorschlägen der Mächte einverstanden.

American Embassy, London, December 27, 1902. (December 27) My Lord, With reference to recent interviews with your Lordship relative to the submission to arbitration of the questions at issue between Great Britain and Venezuela, and particularly to the Memorandum which you were so good as to hand me on the 23rd instant, I have the honour to inform you that the President of the United States profoundly appreciates the courtesy with which the Powers in interest have suggested his name as Arbitrator in the matters now pending in Venezuela; and if no other or no better means of settling the subjects in dispute presented themselves, he would willingly comply with the wishes of the Powers and give his best efforts to an end so laudable. But the President has thought it most desirable from the beginning that the entire controversy should be submitted to the judgment of that high Tribunal at the Hague, which has been created by the principal Powers of the world for the consideration of precisely such causes, involving, as the present controversy does, no question of national honour nor the cession of territory. || After a thorough consultation with all of the Powers concerned, during which the President has found an honourable spirit of candour and of mutual consideration animating every one of them, he has been greatly gratified to learn that, in the event of his not undertaking the important duty to which the Powers have invited him, they would all be willing to accept a reference to the Hague. || The President has therefore the greatest pleasure in announcing to the Government of Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and Venezuela that all of them have accepted in principle the proposition of a reference of pending questions to the Tribunal of the Hague. || If the President can be of any further

service in arranging the preliminaries of such an understanding, he will gladly hold himself at the disposition of the Powers concerned; and if their Representatives should find it desirable to meet in Washington, he would be happy to welcome them there and to facilitate their labours in every possible way. Henry White.

Nr. 12923. VEREINIGTE STAATEN. - Der Botschafter in London an den englischen Minister des Ausw. Castro erkennt grundsätzlich die Forderungen der Mächte an. Die Verhandlungen sollen in Washington geführt werden.

American Embassy, London, January 1, 1903. (January 1.) My Lord, I have the honour, in accordance with instructions from || my Government, to communicate to your Lordship the following copy of a telegram, which was received yesterday by Mr. Secretary Hay from Mr. Bowen, American Minister to Venezuela:

„I have received the following answer from the President of Venezuela: I recognize, in principle, the claims which the allied Powers have presented to Venezuela. They would already have been settled if it had not been that the civil war required all the attention and all the resources of the Government. To-day the Government bows to superior force, and desires to send Mr. Bowen to Washington at once, to confer there with the Representatives of the Powers that have claims against Venezuela, in order to arrange either an immediate settlement of all the claims, or the preliminaries for a reference to the Tribunal of The Hague, or to an American Republic, to be selected by the allied Powers and by the Government of Venezuela. Mr. Bowen would be duly authorized to settle the whole question as the Representative of Venezuela." Cipriano Castro.

(Signed)

Copies of the foregoing telegram from Mr. Bowen have also been transmitted by the Secretary of State to the American Ambassadors at Berlin and Rome.

Nr. 12924. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

Henry White.

den Botschafter in Berlin. Unterredung mit Metternich. Vor den Verhandlungen muß Venezuela gewisse Ansprüche anerkennen.

Foreign Office, January 2, 1903.

(Extract.) || Sir, || The German Ambassador called on me this afternoon for the purpose of discussing the answer received from the Presi

dent of the Venezuelan Republic by the United States' Government, and by them transmitted to the British and German Governments, with regard to the mode of settling the Venezuela dispute. Count Metternich observed that in the Venezuelan reply it was not stated with sufficient distinctness whether the conditions proposed by the two Powers were unreservedly accepted; he said that in the view of the German Government it would be necessary to obtain in the first instance from the Venezuelan Government a positive declaration of their acceptance of the conditions upon wich the German and British Governments had insisted, and that they should be required to explain the manner in which they intended to guarantee the fulfilment of any obligations which they might contract in connection with the Arbitrator's Award. It seemed to the German Government that if satisfactory assurances were given in this respect, the Powers concerned would then be in a position „,to enter into a discussion, with regard to the manner in which the question should be further dealt with". I said that I held strongly and in this I agreed with the view of the German Government, which his Excellency had been good enough to communicate to me - that we ought on no account to allow our Representatives at Washington or elsewhere to enter into any discussions with Mr. Bowen until we had obtained from the Venezuelan Government a disticnt statement that they unreservedly accepted and agreed to be bound by the conditions numbered 1, 2, and 3 in the Memorandum which I communicated to Mr. White on the 23rd December, 1902, and also by the further condition described in the paragraph which follows. An extract of the Memorandum, showing the passages referred to, is inclosed for convenience of reference.*) || If these conditions were unreservedly accepted, I thought we might authorize our Representative at Washington to meet Mr. Bowen, and to consider any proposals which he might have to make either for (a),,an immediate settlement of all the claims", or (b) the preliminaries for a reference to the Hague Tribunal. It should, I thought, be made clear that our readiness to discuss (a) should in no way prejudice our right to demand a reference to the Hague. It would in this case, I thought, have to be clearly understood that Mr. Bowen appeared merely as a Commissioner on the part of the Venezuelan Government, and not in his official capacity as United States' Minister at Carácas. || I added that it would, in my opinion, be unwise to exclude any arrangement which might possibly afford the pro

*) In einer Beilage sind die Punkte 1, 2, 3 von Nr. 12921 hinzugefügt. Red.

Staatsarchiv LXVIII.

11

spect of a more expeditious settlement than any which could be expected from the Hague Tribunal.

Nr. 12925. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Derselbe an Denselben. Antwort Deutschlands an die Vereinigten Staaten.

Foreign Office, January 3, 1903.

Sir, The German Ambassador handed to me this afternoon the inclosed copy of the reply which his Government will make to President Castro's communication. Lansdowne.

Anlage.

Draft of Letter to the American Ambassador at Berlin.

(Translation.) The German Government has learnt with satisfaction that the Venezuelan Government accepts in principle the German demands. Before entering into further negotiations with Venezuela on this basis, it appears necessary that President Castro should give a definite declaration that he accepts, unconditionally, the reservations contained in the German Memorandum of the 22nd December, 1902, besides which he must specially make clear in what manner he intends to pay the demands contained in that Memorandum or to give security for the amount. !! When the Venezuelan Government has given a satisfactory declaration, the Imperial Government would be ready to instruct their Ambassador at Washington to begin negotiations with Mr. Bowen, and to consider his proposals for the settlement of the matter. These proposals would, apart from the demands specified under (1) of the Memorandum, cover either an immediate regulation of all the claims or their reference to the Hague Tribunal. The German Government assumes that, if any proposals for immediate settlement are discussed, their rights as to referring the matter to the Hague Tribunal will in no way be prejudiced thereby. || The Imperial Government would be very grateful to the Government of the United States if the latter would transmit this reply to President Castro.

Nr. 12926. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Der Minister des Ausw. an den Botschafter der Vereinigten Staaten. Antwort auf Nr. (12923). Foreign Office, January 5, 1903.

Sir, || I have the honour to inform you, in reply to your communication of the 1st instant, that His Majesty's Government have taken into

consideration the answer received by Mr. Secretary Hay from the President of the Venezuelan Republic to the proposals contained in the Memorandum which, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, I handed to you on the 23rd December, 1902. || His Majesty's Government observe with satisfaction President Castro's statement that he recognizes in principle" the claims which they have put forward. His Majesty's Government understand this statement to signify that President Castro agrees, on the part of the Venezuelan Government, that any discussions in which Mr. Bowen, as the Representative of that Government, is to engage at Washington with the Representative of His Majesty's Government are to proceed upon the assumption that the Venezuelan Government unreservedly accept, and agree to be bound by the conditions laid down in the Memorandum of the 23rd December, 1902, which run as follows: 1. The claims (small, as has already been pointed out, in pecuniary amount) arising out of the seizure and plundering of British vessels and outrages on their crews, and the maltreatment and false imprisonment of British subjects, are not to be referred to arbitration. „2. In cases where the claim is for injury to, or wrongful seizure of, property, the questions which the Arbitrators will have to decide will only be: (a) whether the injury took place, and whether the seizure was wrongful; and (b) if so, what amount of compensation is due. That in such cases a liability exists must be admitted in principle. || 3. In the case of claims other than the above, we are ready to accept arbitration without any reserve. || „It would, in the opinion of both Governments" (British and German), „,be necessary that the Arbitral Tribunal should not only determine the amount of compensation payable by Venezuela, but should also define the security to be given by the Venezuelan Government, and the means to be resorted to for the purpose of guaranteeing a sufficient and punctual discharge of the obligation." || On receiving a definitive assurance from President Castro that this interpretation of his language is accepted by him as correct, and that whatever procedure be adopted adequate provision will be made for the prompt satisfaction of the claims specified in paragraph (1), His Majesty's Government will be prepared to authorize His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington to confer on this basis with Mr. Bowen, as the Representative of the Venezuelan Government, and will furnish Sir M. Herbert with the necessary instructions for examining the possibility of an immediate settlement, or, failing such a settlement, for arranging a reference of all points left open for arbitration. to the Tribunal at the Hague. || His Majesty's Government will be much obliged if Mr. Secretary Hay will be good enough to take such steps as