Mr. White to Mr. Foster.
St. Petersburg , December 15, 1892 . (Received December 31.)
Sir: Referring to your dispatch No. 12, of November 7, regarding the submission of Jacob Goldstein’s passport to the Russian legation at Washington rather than to the American legation here, I went the day after receiving it to the foreign office and called the attention of Mr. Chichkine to the subject. He explained that the matter came up during the interim between Mr. Smith’s departure and my arrival and that it was therefore thought best to refer it directly to Washington.
Upon this I presented your view of the delay thus caused, and of the injury involved, not merely in the case of the person claiming to be Jacob Goldstein, but in other cases should this novel action of the Russian Government be considered as a precedent.
He received my statement in a very satisfactory manner, assuring me that in future such cases would be referred to the American legation here and not to the State Department at Washington.
I have, etc.,