Mr. Jackson to Mr. Olney.
Berlin, February 28, 1896. (Received March 14.)
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that I have again (to-day) had an interview with Baron von der Recke, the Prussian minister of the interior. In the course of our conversation the minister told me that matters were still as they were when I saw him last (see note on “insurance” in my dispatch No. 469, of the 8th instant); that the papers of both the New York and Mutual Life Insurance companies were in the hands of experts; that he was waiting for the reports of both insurance and financial experts, and that he could not hurry these men in their work without interfering with the thoroughness of it. He again stated explicitly that there had been no intention whatever of discriminating against American companies, and that the action taken had actually been taken for the reasons assigned. He said, with reference to recent legislation in New York, that under the present condition of affairs public feeling might make it impossible to renew the concession to the American companies, even if the report of the experts were [Page 194] favorable, as may of course be the case, as it would not be allowed to appear as if the Government had been compelled to change its views in the matter. With reference to certain letters which had been received by him from the insurance officers of some of our States, he expressed surprise that such officers considered it proper to communicate through any other than a diplomatic channel with an official of a foreign government, and remarked that he could of course only reply to these letters through the Imperial foreign office.
I have, etc.,