File No. 741.8215/52.

The Secretary of State to the American Ambassador to Great Britain.

[Telegram.—Paraphrase.]

The American Minister at Monrovia reports that the whereabouts of Cooper and Lomax are unknown, that they have not been on the Sierra Leone boundary since February and that they are supposed to be near the coast. The American ex-Army officers engaged by the Liberian Government for the reorganization of the frontier force have arrived at Monrovia. The Liberian Government has appointed one of them on the Anglo-Liberian boundary commission. It is believed that conditions will soon improve. Request the British Government to refrain from taking harsh measures until results of the reorganization become evident.

Knox.