420 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



period many earnest and persistent efforts of Venezuela to estab- 

 lish a boundary by agreement have proved unsuccessful. 



4. The futility of the endeavor to obtain a conventional line 

 being recognized, Venezuela for a quarter of a century has asked 

 and striven for arbitration. 



5. Great Britain, however, has always and continuously refused 

 to arbitrate, except upon the condition of a renunciation of a large 

 part of the Venezuelan claim and of a concession to herself of a 

 large share of the territory in controversy. 



6. By the frequent interposition of its good offices at the 

 instance of Venezuela, by constantly urging and promoting the 

 restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries, by 

 pressing for arbitration of the disputed boundary, by offering to 

 act as arbitrator, by expressing its grave concern whenever new 

 alleged instances of British aggression upon Venezuelan territory 

 have been brought to its notice, the Government of the United 

 States has made it clear to Great Britain and to the world that 

 the controversy is one in which both its honor and its interests 

 are involved and the continuance of which it cannot regard with 

 indifference. 



The accuracy of the foregoing analysis of the existing status- 

 cannot, it is believed, be challenged. It shows that status to be 

 such that those charged with the interests of the United States 

 are now forced to determine exactly what those interests are and 

 what course of action they require. It compels them to decide 

 to what extent, if any, the United States may and should inter- 

 vene in a controversy between and primarily concerning only 

 Great Britain and Venezuela and to decide how far it is bound 

 to see that the integrity of Venezuelan territory is not impaired 

 by the pretensions of its powerful antagonist. Are any such right 

 and duty devolved upon the United States ? If not, the United 

 States has already done all, if not more than all, that a purely 

 sentimental interest in the affairs of the two countries justifies, 

 and to push its interposition further would be unbecoming and 

 undignified and might well subject it to the charge of impertinent 

 intermeddling with affairs with which it has no rightful concern. 

 On the other hand, if any such right and duty exist, their due 

 exercise and discharge will not permit of any action that shall 

 not be efficient and that, if the power of the United States is ade- 

 quate, shall not result in the accomplishment of the end in view. 

 The question thus presented, as matter of principle and regard 

 being had to the settled national policy, does not seem difficult 

 of solution. Yet the momentous practical consequences depend- 

 ent upon its determination require that it should be carefully con- 



