600.119/1772: Telegram
The Chargé in Great Britain ( Laughlin ) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 11:53 p.m.]
4330. War Trade Board [from Sheldon]: Number 2000. Refer your number 1765, Department’s number 3197 of December 3.22 Peterson telegram to Woolley and Gay. Our number 1970 Embassy’s number 4185 of November 30 was sent in answer to your 1655 of November 19. Definite arrangements have now been made in accordance with your suggestion for an interchange of information between ourselves and the British authorities concerning all proposed relaxations of export and import restrictions, and your cables containing such information are being notified accordingly today. We have received a letter from the Board of Trade which says:
In acting [apparent omission] the arrangement made by Mr. Peterson with Sir Albert Stanley, I have to notify you that a general license will be given to import any quantity of the following articles viz.: gum copal and gum kauri to take effect from Thursday, December 12th on which day it will be notified to the public through the Board of Trade Journal and to remain in operation, in the first instance, till March 1st next. I have to ask that this information may be kept confidential until published. Any further decisions in regard to the removal of import restrictions will be similarly notified to you in future in advance of publication.
As regards export restrictions our policy at present is to free manufactured goods from existing restrictions as rapidly as possible. The export of all goods except printed matter and personal effects to countries on the C list 1 E to countries bordering on the enemy, however, remains prohibited at present and no alterations in this principle [Page 747] will be made without submission to the Inter-Allied Blockade Committee. As you are of course aware, the Inter-Allied Blockade Committee has put forward a list of articles which could in their opinion be freed from all restrictions, but this list still awaits the concurrence of the United States Government. As regards other relaxations in export restrictions our practice is to publish a list weekly in the Board of Trade Journal, but in order to meet what I understand to be American wishes the relaxations so announced do not take effect until 8 days after publication.
- Not printed.↩