882.01 Foreign Control/669: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 6—12:20 p.m.]
220. From General Winship. My telegram No. 21067 and your No. 98. I have talked to Cecil by telephone and he will reach Geneva tomorrow. I hope to be able to summarize the existing position for you tomorrow night.
Grimes has just submitted his statement. He asks that the plan as revised last June be reexamined in the light of Liberia’s having made its request for assistance “within the Covenant of the League and not in derogation of the Constitution of the Republic,” adding that Liberia has nevertheless endorsed the plan with the following reservations:
- (1)
- Chief Adviser not to be a national either of a country to whose citizens Liberia is indebted, or with contiguous territory.
- (2)
- There should be provision for education in proposed budget for running expenses of the government.
- (3)
- Liberia does not wish to concede any limitation on its “constitutional power to grant concessions”; agrees to submit any proposals to the Chief Adviser for consideration but not to be bound to accept his advice. (Ligthart made a specific recommendation on this in June. See item 17 of his report.)68
- (4)
- Lengthy controversial statement regarding financing of plan the substance of which is that the cost should involve no increase in Liberia’s capital indebtedness but should be “within the actual financial capacity of the Government,” that is financed out of revenues.
I suggest this summary be regarded as confidential for the present. [Winship.]