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Edwin James Barclay (5 January 1882 – 6 November 1955)Barclay, E. J., "Makers of Modern Africa: Profiles in History", Africa Journal Ltd, 1981, p. 82. was a politician, poet, and musician who served as the 18th president of Liberia from 1930 until 1944. He was a member of the True Whig political party, which dominated the political governance of the country for decades. Under Barclay's leadership, Liberia was an ally of the United States during World War II.
In 1901, at the age of 19, Edwin wrote a Liberian patriotic song, "The Lone Star Forever." Barclay and his wife Euphemia had three children: Mary Barclay Dumbar, Siata Isabel Barclay, and Earnest Barclay. In addition, they fostered future Liberian Ambassador to the U.S., George Arthur Padmore (1915–2005). "Liberia: Ambassador George A. Padmore is Dead", Liberian Observer, 16 April 2005: "George Arthur Padmore was born in Monrovia, Liberia, on July 15, 1915 to the union of James Stanley and Mary Louise Barclay Padmore.... The renowned statesman was the last surviving member of the Liberian delegation to the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945. Honorable George A. Padmore, a prominent Liberian statesman, died Friday morning at the Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, MD, following a brief illness He was in his 90th year." The Afro American, 3 December 1955. Google Newspaper archives - 2 December 1955. Memoirs of a Liberian Ambassador, George Arthur Padmore: Book Review by J. Kpanneh Doe, The Perspective (Smyrna, Georgia), 11 April 2000.
The Great Depression brought Liberia to the verge of bankruptcy. As the global economy collapsed, so too did prices of all commodities, including those for rubber. By 1932, rubber prices had fallen to a low of 3¢ a pound. Although the trees planted by the Firestone Company in 1926 and 1927 were reaching tapping age, the market price of rubber would cover only a small fraction of the cost of tapping, processing and transportation to market. Firestone did not bother to harvest and produce the rubber. Without this revenue, government revenues fell steadily to a low of $321,000 (~$ in ) in 1933.
By 1931, it became apparent to the Liberian administration that the revenue shortfall made continued loan repayments impossible. The government asked the lending bank and Firestone for forbearance on the loan payments but to no avail. Harvey Firestone attempted to persuade the United States government to employ "gunboat diplomacy" to compel compliance with the loan agreement. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt refused to interfere in Liberian internal affairs, writing in a memorandum to the State Department: "At all times we should remember that Harvey Firestone went to Liberia at his own financial risk, and it is not the business of the State Department to pull his financial chestnut out of the fire except as a friend of the Liberian people."
In 1932, the Liberian Legislature passed the Moratorium Act suspending payment of the Firestone loan until terms could be negotiated that were more in line with Liberia's ability to pay. The US suspended diplomatic relations but did not take further action.
When Barclay appealed to the League of Nations for help, the Council of the League of Nations established a commission of inquiry. The report of the commission recommended providing financial aid to Liberia with certain conditions that reflected concerns that the government of Liberia would not be able to pay a renegotiated loan without some level of monitoring. Some European powers in the League of Nations had advocated mandate status for Liberia, a move which would have abrogated the independence of the republic.
Barclay and other members of his cabinet objected to the proposed conditions on the grounds that they would infringe upon the sovereignty of Liberia. For example, one of the conditions would have required that the League's delegates be placed in key positions within the Liberian government.
After Barclay implemented some of the measures that had been proposed by the League of Nations, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt restored diplomatic relations with Liberia in 1934. After three years of negotiation, an agreement was reached along lines suggested by the League. Two key League officials were placed in positions to advise the government, but with limitations set forth by the Liberian government. With this assistance program in place, Liberia was able to resume making loan payments.
Writing in his memoirs, former U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull wrote, "With Japan's occupation of the Rubber producing areas in the Far East, Liberia became of greatly increased importance to us as one of the few remaining available sources of natural rubber."Hull, Cordell. The Memoirs of Cordell Hull (Volume II, p. 1186). President Barclay assured the Americans that Liberia would supply all the natural rubber that the United States and its allies needed for the war effort.
Because of its proximity to South America, Liberia became the first major West African bridgehead for the South Atlantic air ferry route. For this reason, the Liberian Government also granted to the United States use of its territory to store war supplies and to construct military bases in Montserrado County and Grand Cape Mount County at Fisherman's Lake. United States military supplies were collected in Florida, transported through South America to Brazil, then flown from Brazil to the military depot at Roberts Field. There 5,000 United States African-American troops stored and maintained the inventory. From Roberts Field, the war supplies were flown to their final destinations in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
In May 1943, Edwin Barclay visited the United States. He was the first black man to be officially introduced from the rostrum of the United States Congress as a guest of honor.
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