Mr. White to Mr. Hay.
Berlin , September 1, 1899 .
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, today, of the Department’s instruction No. 917, of the 19th ultimo, and to inform you that a copy of Superintendent Payn’s letter in regard to the readmission of the American life insurance companies to do business in Prussia and of the Prussian companies to do business in the State of New York, has been communicated to Minister Count von Bülow for such use as he may see fit to make of the same. At the same time the embassy has expressed its thanks for the assurance given in Baron Richthofen’s note of August 14 (dispatch No. 993, August 15, 1899), and has again called attention to the fact that the United States Government attaches great importance to the satisfactory settlement of the question concerned, at an early date.
Referring to previous correspondence, I have the honor to inform you that the Prussian commissioners have now returned to Berlin, but as it is understood that they are to take a vacation before resuming work in the ministry of the interior, and as the minister himself, Baron von der Recke, is actually on leave, it is not likely that the report will be considered for several weeks. At the same time the fact is worthy of attention that the newspapers are beginning to refer [Page 291] to the probability that the Imperial insurance bill (dispatch No. 633, November 28, 1898) will be introduced in the Reichstag soon after it reassembles in November. The text of this bill has been freely discussed by the various chambers of commerce and other similar bodies, and by the press throughout Germany, but it is thought probable that the text of the bill, when introduced, will not differ materially from that of the draft published about nine months ago.
I have, etc.,