The_Open_Door_deel1

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between the U.S.A. and Liberia were broken off by Herbert Hoover,
the former Secretary of Commerce who in the meantime had become
President of The United States of America. In 1933 the Firestone
group in Liberia was alleged to have made an attempt to overthrow
the Barclay Government and to have openly advocated the return to
office of former President Charles King, who now stood on the
company's payroll as Harvey Firestone's private attorney in Monrovia
(31). A prominent Firestone official in Liberia was recalled
by the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in connection with the
allegations of conspiracy (32).
The deadlock was overcome in 1935 after mediation by the American
Government and after the rubber prices started rising again In
1934» In March 1935 Firestone and the Government of Liberia signed
supplementary agreements to the 1926 Loan and Planting Agreements.
The changes in the Loan Agreement complied to a large extent with
the recommendations of the League of Nation's Brunot Commission of
1931 (33). The annual salary of the Financial Advisor was reduced
to $ 9,000, also the salaries of the other Loan officials were
cut, the interest rate was lowered from seven to five per cent per
annum, and it was agreed that no interest would have to be paid in
those years in which Government revenue would be less than
$ 450,000. As it was felt that the performance of the obligations
created by the "gold clause" of the Loan Agreement had become
unduly burdensome to the Liberian Government after the decision of
the American Government in the early 1930's to reduce the gold
content of the U.S. dollar, this clause, stating that the
principal and interest of the loan were payable in "gold coin of
the United States of America of the present standard of weight and
fineness", was altered into "payable in any coin or currency of
the United States of America which at the time of payment is legal
tender for public and private debts" (34),
The 1935 Supplementary Agreement to the Planting Agreement granted
the Firestone Plantations Company during the 90 years of this
agreement (1935 - 2025) exemption from any and all taxes, duties,
excises, license or other fees, wharfage and harbour dues, in
short, all charges of any sort, whether existing or to be created,
with the exception of documentary stamp taxes of general
application, provided that the exemption from import and export
duties would be restricted to the operation of the company and the
development of the concession area, directly or indirectly, and
that the exemption would not apply to motor vehicles in excess of
one hundred and fifty. By the same agreement the company's expatriate
employees became exempt from any and all direct or
personal taxes.
This supplementary agreement also gave the Firestone Plantations
Company the exclusive right to take by mining or any similar
operation the mineral contents of the subsoil of the leased lands,
on which production the royalty to be paid to the Government would
never exceed 10 per cent of its value (it was thought that
Firestone's Harbel plantation also covered diamond fields (35).
In addition the right was granted to Firestone to construct
landing facilities and operate an aerial transportation system,